


Serendipity's Wings

by lasersheith



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Shiro (Voltron), Sharing a Bed, Shiro and Kuro are twins, side ship: Allura/Kuro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-03-16 02:14:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13626414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasersheith/pseuds/lasersheith
Summary: When Shiro receives bad news about his grandfather, he immediately books a flight for Japan. Luckily for him, he finds a familiar face in the pilot. It's been a long time since he saw his childhood friend Keith, but they pick up where they left off almost immediately.Unluckily, his twin brother has decided to jump to conclusions, and now his family thinks he and Keith have rekindled a flame that was never there. Rather than disappoint them in a tense moment, Keith gamely agrees to play along. What are friends for, after all?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so, just getting this out of the way, Shiro's grandpa is going to be FINE. I'm not a monster, he's a sweet old man that loves his grandson so much and he's gonna be a-okay. 
> 
> Also, the first chapter is not very funny, but hopefully the rest of the fic will be (what I have so far is funny to me, at least lol)

Shiro adjusted his glasses and pulled the strap on his duffle bag higher up his shoulder. He checked his watch again. 45 minutes until boarding, and then a grueling 12 hour flight, followed by who knows how long in Tokyo evening rush hour traffic to get to the hospital. He checked his phone again for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Still nothing new from his brother, so his grandfather must still be in surgery. He gritted his teeth and reminded himself that being impatient wasn't going to do him any favors. 

He worried his bottom lip between his teeth and stared at his mother's name in his phone. It was only just after 4am for her. He knew she was probably still up, waiting for her father to get out of surgery but he didn't want to risk waking her if she had finally managed to get to sleep. Just as he decided not to call and slipped his phone back into his pocket, he heard an impossibly familiar voice behind him. “Shiro?” The incredulous voice called. 

His world narrowed down to a tiny pinprick as he turned and saw the man who'd just called his name. The sharp uniform and jauntily situated hat gave him pause, but there was no mistaking those vibrant blue-violet eyes and the hair that not even ten years seemed able to tame. His face split into a wide grin as he approached. “Keith, oh my god. It's been years!” He held his hand out for Keith to shake, but Keith grabbed it and pulled him into a hug. 

“Wow, how have you been? You're a pilot now, I guess?” He said with a chuckle. Keith grinned up at him happily. “Yeah, I just made Captain! It's my first day as not a first officer. I've been doing really well.” The familiar smile tugged hard on Shiro's heartstrings. “What have you been up to?” Shiro looked down and blushed. 

“Oh, I'm a post-doc researcher now, doing a little teaching on the side for CalTech grad students.” Keith clapped him on the back. “That's great, Shiro! 10 years later and you're living the dream. You on your way to a fancy space conference or something?” Keith ribbed good-naturedly. Shiro's temporary respite into a good mood faded and his face scrunched back into a worried frown. 

“Unfortunately, no.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Jiji’s not doing well. He's in surgery right now. Kuro called me on the way to the lab this morning so I booked the first flight I could to Tokyo.” Keith's face fell and he put a hand on Shiro's shoulder. “I'm so sorry to hear that.” Shiro nodded and muttered out a polite thank you. 

After a brief awkward pause, Keith looked up at him. “Wait are you on flight 4657?” Shiro pulled his ticket out and verified the number. “Uh, yeah, I am. Why?” Keith gave him a small smile. “I'm your pilot.” He said with an incredulous chuckle. “Wow, that's… what are the odds on that?” Shiro couldn't help but laugh. 

Keith licked his lips. “Hey, if I can push the return flight off on someone else, would you mind if I went with you to visit him? If it's too big an intrusion I completely understand but--” Shiro grinned up at him with watery eyes. “No, I'm sure he'd love that.” Shiro interrupted. “My family always liked you so much, Keith. I'm sure everyone would be glad to see you again, especially considering the circumstances.” Keith smiled and nodded. “Ok, great. I've gotta go run and do all the preflight stuff, what seat are you in? I can let you know if I'm good to go when I hear back from my boss.” 

Shiro showed him his ticket and Keith verified the seat before saying goodbye and heading off down the terminal. Shiro couldn't help but smile at the fortuity. On the worst day of his life, it seemed excessively kind of the universe to pull his estranged childhood best friend back into his life like this. He found a seat and tried to shove his worry down by burying himself in a book until boarding. 

His mind wandered and he couldn't help but fixate on his sudden reunion with Keith. All the sleepless summer nights in the backyard with junk food and tiny toy telescopes. The evenings racing by faster than their bikes through the sparse underbrush of the desert. School dances spent sitting off in the corner laughing quietly to themselves. The jarring heartbreak the summer after graduation as they headed off to separate colleges with promises to stay in touch. 

They'd both tried, like everyone does. Their texts and emails gradually became fewer and farther between. Shiro's family had moved back to Japan when his father retired and he had little reason to go back to their home town beside seeing Keith. Shiro was the only thing there for him, anyway, except for a foster mother who was patient and kind if a little lacking in fondness. Shiro's family had been the one that doted on him as child, not his court ordered one. Eventually they both just stopped going.

There was no falling out, they just drifted apart on the separate currents of life's vast network of rivers. It might have been easier to deal with a big fight bringing an end to a friendship that spanned almost two decades. Closure. But instead, Shiro had been left dangling. Resigning himself to thinking about Keith from time to time, considering looking him up online even, but it always felt like it had just been too long.

When they called his group to board, Shiro shoved his book back into his duffle and headed to the line to enter the plane. The flight attendant pulled him aside. “Excuse me, sir? Are you Takashi Shirogane?” He nodded at the smiling young man. “Yeah, is there a problem?” The flight attendant shook his head and continued his practiced, polite, customer service smile. “Oh, no, not at all. The pilot wanted to speak with you before you boarded.” Shiro's cheeks tinged pink as he was led to the crew area. 

Keith emerged from the cockpit and smiled at him. “Hey, sorry, I know this is a little over the top.” He chuckled out. Shiro returned his smile. “Did you hear from your boss already?” Keith nodded at him. “Yeah, he told me to take as much time as I needed, so as long as you're sure it won't be weird...” Shiro nodded back. “I’m definitely sure. He'll be so happy to see you, he still asks about you all the time. I'll email Kuro when we get up in the air and have him tell everyone. Mom’ll be thrilled.” 

Keith's cheeks darkened with blush as well. “I actually pulled a couple of strings and got you upgraded.” He pulled a ticket out of his jacket and Shiro's eyes went wide. “Wow, Keith, you really didn't have to do that.” Keith shook his head. “I know you're worried sick about your grandpa, the last thing I wanted was for you to cram yourself into a tiny seat for 12 hours. It was the least I could do.” Shiro pulled him into a tight hug. “Thank you,” He whispered into Keith's hair. Keith patted his back comfortingly. “Sure thing, buddy.” 

He cleared his throat as Shiro backed away. “I gotta go fly and stuff.” He murmured awkwardly, pointing towards the cockpit. “The flight attendants are all really nice, don't hesitate to ask them if you need anything!” He rushed out. Shiro smiled, thanked him again, and headed back to his new first class seat.

He smiled through Keith's address to the passengers. He was professional and matter-of-fact about everything. Shiro couldn't help but think he sounded nervous. It was very cute. 

He shook his head, cursing his own thoughts. Apparently the passage of time had done nothing to dull his boyhood crush. He took another sip of his complementary mimosa. 

Keith's demeanor hadn't changed much, he was still quiet and thoughtful and incredibly kind. He still had that same mop of unruly hair that Shiro lamented only having run his hands through once. His eyes still made Shiro's knees weak. He'd filled out quite a bit from the lanky teen he had been when Shiro last saw him, though. He was still lean, but even in the heavy Captain's uniform you could still see the hints of muscle lying underneath. God, that uniform. Shiro shook his head to clear it. 

Maybe drinking alcohol while he was so emotional hadn't been the best idea. 

As soon as the announcement that it was safe to use large electronics came over the intercom, Shiro pulled out his laptop and began drafting an email to his brother. 

_ Hey Kuro, _

_ I'm on the flight, ETA is 4:55pm local time. How's everyone holding up? Email me as soon as you can about how the surgery went.  _

He frowned at the screen. He needed to tell his brother to get the spare room ready for Keith, but the story was a little out there. Even he could still barely believe it happened, he didn't want Kuro to be weird about it. Not to mention, his brother had picked on him about his crush on Keith all through high school and it had been humiliating. They were almost 30 now, though. Surely he'd be more mature about it after all this time, Shiro hoped. He swallowed hard. 

_ I ran into Keith Kogane recently, and long story short, he's coming with me. Can you make sure the spare room at mom and dad's place is set up?  _

That would probably be fine. There's no way to make that weird, right? Shiro groaned but had already rewritten the two sentences an exorbitant number of times, so he went with it. 

_ Take care of the parentals for me until I get there. Love you bro. _

_ Shiro _

He hit send and checked the rest of his inbox. He figured he might as well try to get a little bit of work done since he had so much space and was actually pretty comfortable. His brother's reply came within the hour. 

_ Good news! He's out of surgery and in the recovery room, doc says it's looking good so far but we aren't out of the woods. I finally convinced dad to get some sleep, mom won't budge though.  _

_ I had no idea you even still talked to Keith, I'm sure Jiji will be really happy to nerd out about space crap with you dorks once he's up and around. I'll get your room ready, don't sweat it.  _

_ Love you too _

He smiled at his brother's reply. Talking about their grandfather's recovery as though it were a surety helped ease his worries more than he would have thought. Hopefully he could convince their mother to get some rest at some point in the next ten hours, though. He powered off his laptop and tried to sleep through as much of the rest of the flight as he could. 

..

Shiro blinked awake as a gentle hand squeezed his shoulder. “Excuse me, sir.” The flight attendant said in a syrupy sweet voice. “We're getting ready to land. Please put your seatbelt on.” He nodded and raised his chair back up, pulling the belt on. He'd slept much better and much longer than he'd anticipated. As the plane slid down to a graceful landing, Shiro's heart started hammering with the sudden realization of his situation. 

Keith was going to be staying with him, at his parents house, for an indeterminate amount of time while his grandfather recovered. The first time he'd seen the man in almost a decade and they were going to have to share close quarters. It was a bit nerve wracking. 

He wasn't sure if he should stay in his seat and wait for everyone else to get off, or if he should get off and wait for Keith in the terminal. Eventually his indecision made the choice for him as busy travelers flooded the aisle. He pulled his duffle bag onto his shoulder again and stood up as soon as the last passenger from the back areas of the plane passed him. 

Keith was waiting by the exit door, his own bag in hand. 

Their eyes met and they both smiled. Shiro's stomach did jumping jacks up into his ribcage. Keith held out an arm, prompting Shiro to exit before him. They made their way out of the narrow hallway and headed towards customs. Shiro sighed as he saw how long the line was. 

Keith grabbed his elbow and pulled him off to the side. “Here, you count as a guest of the crew.” He murmured, pulling him into a much shorter line. The bored agent took their passports and Keith's badge. He stamped the books and keyed in Keith's badge number quickly before handing them back and sending them on their way. 

“Wow, that was incredible. Thanks, Keith.” Keith smiled and tipped his hat. “One of the perks.” He winked and Shiro's heart leapt. They both laughed as they made their way to a taxi. 

The taxi ride from the airport out to the suburbs where Shiro's parents had settled took a long, grueling hour for such a short distance. Shiro was nervous the entire time. He had no idea what to talk about with Keith, especially with a stranger eyeing them from the front seat. They mostly made small talk about their jobs and where they were living. 

They agreed that Pasadena was nicer than LA but there were still too many people. Keith apparently had a house in Long Beach that he bought with a few of his friends from flight school. The four of them going in together for it was the only way to afford anything near liveable in such a nice area. Being only 20 miles from the airport and able to hop in the ocean whenever he had free time was well worth giving up a little bit of elbow room. Shiro was dumbstruck by the revelation that they were living less than 40 miles from each other and neither had any idea until now. 

They pulled up to the modest home and Shiro paid the driver as Keith brought their bags to the door. Kuro stepped out and pulled him into a big hug that turned into a headlock, knocking off his hat and mussing his hair. “Hey, squirt! Good to see you.” Keith grunted and twisted out of the hold. “Same old Kuro.” He grunted with feigned indignation. “I'm so sorry to hear about your grandpa.” Keith said more seriously once he'd flattened down his hair. Kuro nodded solemnly and waved as Shiro approached. 

“Yeah, he's a tough old bird, though. He'll make it.” He opened the door quietly. “Mom's finally sleeping in a real bed, but dad's at the hospital still. You guys can get settled in and we'll head back up there as soon as she's awake.” He led them to a guest room at the end of the hall and opened the door. Shiro looked around in confusion at the single queen sized bed, two stacks of towels, and the placements of some of Shiro's old things. He noted the lack of blow up mattress or roll-away cot acutely. 

“She couldn't believe me when I told her you guys were both coming. She's gonna flip when she sees you, her and gramps always said you'd end up together eventually and me and dad told them they were crazy.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Guess we lost that one.” 

Keith and Shiro's eyes both widened as the realization sunk in. Before either of them could say anything, Kuro slapped them each on the back and headed for his own room, closing the door with a soft click. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just to clarify because I'm not sure how well I did: Shiro's real name is Takashi just like canon, Kuro's real name is Ryou, Jiji = grandpa and his real name is Takashi because that's cute to me, and also Shiro and Kuro's dad's name is Ryou, too because that's also cute to me. Mom is Yumi.

Shiro gestured Keith inside and ran a hand through his hair before shutting the door. “I am **so** sorry. I don't know why he thinks… that.” Both of their faces were flushed a deep crimson. “I don't want to cause a fuss or anything.” Keith mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Especially with your grandpa…”

Shiro sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. “Yeah… I… if mom's all hyped up about this I'd hate to hurt her feelings on top of everything else that's going on.” He tried his best to stay calm while he spoke, moving to sit on the bed. Inside, his mind was reeling and his heart was racing. Pretending to be dating Keith after all this time, especially with his family's enthusiastic approval, would be torture. He was still so worried about his grandfather and now this being piled on just seemed like too much.

He'd end up with a full head of white hair if not a coronary event by the time his grandfather was back on his feet.

Keith frowned and nodded. “We have to have a story, then.” He said decisively. Shiro looked over at him, confusion apparent on his face. “They're going to ask how long we've been together, when we started talking again, that sort of thing.” Shiro nodded and took a deep breath.

“We ran into each other at the airport when I was on my way to a conference?” Shiro offered. Keith nodded.

“Yeah, that makes sense. We talked before your flight and realized how close we live to each other now and started hanging out again.” Keith added, more confidently.

Shiro smiled. “And since we were such good friends before it was easy to get right back in the swing of everything.” Keith blushed slightly but nodded at Shiro's addition.

“It wasn't a big deal or anything, we just realized we had feelings for each other and now here we are. It should be easy to remember, it's all basically true.” Keith finished, clearing his throat. They avoided eye contact with each other as they surveyed the room.

“Do you wanna get some rest while we wait for mom to wake up? I can go hang out in the living room, I slept on the plane.” Shiro asked after a few long minutes of uncomfortable silence.

“Oh. Yeah, if you don't mind.” Keith replied quietly.

Shiro stood and moved towards the door. “Sure, no problem.” He paused before opening it. “Thanks again for coming, Keith. All weirdness aside, I'm really glad you're here.”

Keith gave him a tight lipped smile. “Yeah, of course.”

Flopping down onto the couch, Shiro felt anxious again. He knew his mother needed the rest, but he was desperate to go see his grandfather. It had been almost a year since he'd last visited, but he still called almost every weekend to keep in touch. All growing up, Jiji had been his babysitter, his teacher, and his buddy; They bonded over a love of stars and science and Shiro always missed him dearly in between visits. The guilt and dread were forming knots in his stomach and there was nothing good on TV to distract him in the slightest.

After nearly an hour of Shiro methodically sliding up and down every cushion on the couch and flipping through every channel on the television at least twice, Kuro finally emerged from his room. He headed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and sat down on the couch next to Shiro. “Thanks for dropping everything and getting here so quick, Tak. It means a lot.” He knocked their elbows together lightly.

Shiro smiled at him and light punched his arm. “You know I wouldn't just leave you hanging.” Kuro smiled and nodded back to him. “So where's Allura?” Shiro asked quietly. Kuro frowned.

“Some big conference in Australia. I told her she didn’t have to leave early on my account, but she’s presenting her research tomorrow morning and then flying back.”

Shiro smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, lightly squeezing. “She’s a good woman, make sure you hold on to her.” Kuro smiled and shrugged his hand off.

“Noted.” He said, a hint of embarrassment leaking into his voice. “And what about Keith? That pilot uniform is quite the look.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Shiro, who flushed bright red and slapped a hand over his face, knocking his glasses to the side.

He groaned. “It’s the worst.” He sunk lower on the couch.

“The worst? More like the best! The tie especially! Kid looks good in ties.” Shiro felt his soul astral project out of his body and dive directly into hell. If he thought Kuro making fun of him for his unrequited crush during their school days was bad, him thinking he and Keith were together now was much, much worse.

Kuro’s phone dinged, interrupting his next unsavory comment. He held the device up to his face and then swiped to read the message. Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Did you just unlock your phone with your face?”

Kuro didn’t look up from the message he was grinning at. “Huh? Oh, yeah. It’s Face ID dude, get with the times.” Shiro stared at him. His identical twin brother, who loved to mess with him, had purposely set his phone to be unlocked by his face. The face they basically shared.

He filed the information away for later. “You know I’m an android guy.” He mumbled out.

Having lost his conversation partner to texting, Shiro went back to being overcome with worry and impatience. Luckily he only ended up having to wait a few minutes for his mom to stumble out of her bedroom and to the coffee pot, grumbling at the allegedly instant coffee that was taking several seconds to pour her beverage. Shiro smiled fondly and walked into the kitchen. He walked up carefully behind her before letting out a shy. “Hey, mom.”

She turned around at the sound of his voice, jumping slightly. “Oh, Takashi! I’m so glad you could make it.” She pulled him down into a bone-crushing hug before pulling back and assessing him at arm’s length. “You look so skinny!” Shiro couldn’t help but laugh. He was in the best shape of his life and they both knew it, but it was just what she always had to say whenever she saw him. “Where’s Keith?” She looked around Shiro, like he might be hiding behind him or something.

“He’s taking a nap, I’ll go make sure he’s up and ready to head to the hospital.” His cheeks tinged a slight pink at his mother’s overly fond smile.

“I’m so glad you two are finally together, this has been such a long time coming.” She patted him on the cheek. Shiro’s heart dropped into his stomach. He tried to keep the smile plastered on his face as he replied. “Me too.” He managed to grit out.

He slipped into the bedroom to find Keith already awake and frowning at his duffle bag. He was dressed in jeans and a white tank top, but no actual shirt. “Hey, mom’s awake. We’re probably gonna head out soon.”

Keith looked up at him with an exasperated frown. “I need to borrow a shirt.” Shiro blushed. “Did you forget to bring one?” Keith sighed and reached into his bag, holding up the t-shirt that was inside. It had a very ugly, unhappy cat on it and NO in large letters scrawled across the top. “My roommate is an asshole who thinks he’s funny.”

Shiro couldn't help but chuckle. “I don't know, I think Jiji would love it.” Keith gave him another frown and set his hands on his hips. Shiro held up his hands in surrender. “Kidding, kidding.” He said chuckling. He had about half a closet full of things here so that he wouldn't have to pack as much for trips back, and pulled out a nondescript, red, long-sleeved shirt from one of the hangers. “How's this?” He asked, offering the shirt over. Keith took it and slipped it on over his head.

Shiro swallowed hard at the sight of Keith in one of his shirts. It was big on him, of course. The sleeves hung down well past his fingertips and the hem covered the opening of his pockets, stopping at his upper thigh. Keith smiled softly at him. “Thanks, babe.” He said with a wink.

Shiro's brain short-circuited and his face flushed redder than Keith's shirt. He laughed uncomfortably. Keith couldn't help but chuckle either. “I just thought, you know people have pet names, I can just…”

Shiro interrupted quickly. “No, no it's ok. I just wasn't expecting it. It's fine.”

They both looked away from each other. Keith cleared his throat. “Anyway, I'm ready now, so…”

“Oh, right. Yeah.” Shiro motioned towards the door. “We should head out, then.” He turned to leave but Keith grabbed his arm.

“Shiro, we don't have to do this. We can just tell them if you're that uncomfortable.” Shiro swallowed hard.

“No, I…” He shook his head. “You didn't hear my mom. This means a lot to her. Hopefully Jiji will be well soon and… I don't know.” He took a deep breath and put his head in his hands.

Keith pulled him down into a hug. “We'll figure that part out later. You have a lot on your plate.” Shiro sighed and let himself relax into the embrace for a moment. Keith patted his back. “Come on, let's get out of here.” Shiro nodded. Keith moved past him and opened the door and Shiro followed after a few seconds spent collecting himself.

“Oh, Keith, sweetheart come here.” They both heard from the kitchen as soon as they rounded the corner in the hallway.

“Hey, Mrs. S. Sorry it’s been so long.” Keith said as he pulled into his own tight hug by the slender woman.

“Thank you so much for coming, it will mean everything to dad to see you two.” She pulled back and gently patted his cheek. Keith smiled and nodded to her.

“Hopefully being surrounded by people who love him will help Jiji get better faster.” Kuro rolled his eyes at Keith’s flowery statement, but his mother didn’t see.

She patted him on the cheek again. “Such a sweet boy.” Shiro frowned at his brother, who was still texting with a smirk on his face.

“Mom, are you driving or am I?” She put her hands on her hips.

“I’ll drive. You go too fast!” Both twins and Keith chuckled at her.

Kuro leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Let’s agree to disagree on that one, mom.” She gently swatted his elbow. They all headed out to the driveway together. As soon as the car was in view, Kuro turned to Shiro and smirked. “Shotgun!” He called. Shiro crossed his arms with another frown.

“We’re almost 30 years old, Kuro. Come on.” Kuro laughed and shot him a finger gun.

“Sounds exactly like something someone who just lost shotgun would say.”

Shiro rolled his eyes. “I haven’t seen mom in almost a year. You live an hour away.” Their mother sighed and looped her arm around Keith’s.

“I think Keith is sitting in the front, he’s being good right now.” Keith let out a laugh that shook his whole body.

It filled Shiro with a warmth he really wasn’t expecting. It must have shown on his face, because his brother elbowed him gently. “You got it that bad?” He asked quietly. Shiro cleared his throat. “Can you blame me?” Kuro chuckled and shook his head as he got into the small car.

“What are you giggling at your phone for?” Shiro groused at Kuro from across the back of the car.

Kuro made a face. “It’s called having friends, nerd, maybe you should try it.” Shiro reached across the car for his phone but Kuro pulled it out of his range quickly.

“I have friends, thank you very much. Matt’s watching my cat for me right now.” Keith’s face lit up and he almost asked about the cat, but he didn't know if it would blow their cover or not, so he kept it to himself. Instead he looked out the window.

Shiro’s mother smiled a bittersweet smile in the rear-view mirror as her boys fussed at each other, and flicked her eyes to see Keith staring off at the scenery. “This is making me so nostalgic. It’s just like when you were little boys.” Her eyes misted with tears.

Neither of the twins could reach, but Keith laid a hand over hers on the steering wheel. “We might be adults now, Mrs. S, but we’ll always be your boys.” A few tears slid down her cheeks and she squeezed his hand lightly.

“You’re too sweet, Keith. Takashi, you better hold on to this boy, he’s a good one!” She jokingly lectured into the rear-view.

Shiro swallowed hard and looked at the side of Keith’s face, still facing his mother and smiling at her comfortingly. “I’ll do my best.” He replied quietly. Shiro and Keith both blushed.

The rest of the trip was full of reminiscing together. They all tried to stick to happy and funny memories to keep Mrs. Shirogane’s spirits lifted. When they got to the correct floor at the hospital, they were greeted by a grumpy-looking man in the waiting room. “Takashi!” He called, most of the irritation leaking out of his posture as he strode over and pulled his son into a tight hug. He was several inches shorter and of a slighter build, but the resemblance was obvious. “Thank you for getting here so soon.”

Shiro smiled at him as they pulled apart. “Of course.” He said with a sad smile.

He gestured over to Keith. “You remember Keith, I’m sure.” He said by way of reintroduction. “Sir.” Keith said, holding out a hand. Shiro’s father took it and pulled Keith in for a one-armed hug. “Of course I remember you, Keith. You boys were inseparable from the time you were walking until college.” He smiled fondly and ruffled Keith’s hair. “It’s good to see you, I’m sure Takashi’s grandfather will be happy, too.” He turned to his wife. “Yumi, those nurses won’t let him rest!” He said indignantly. “They bother him every hour it seems.” He crossed his arms and frowned.

She kissed his cheek. “They have to check to make sure he’s recovering still. Let’s go see if they’re done.” The five of them made their way down the hall to his room and Yumi poked her head in quietly. “Ok, Takashi and Keith why don’t you go in first. They don’t like too many people in at once.” Shiro nodded and grabbed Keith’s hand instinctively. Keith offered a comforting squeeze and they walked inside together.

“Oh, Jiji…” Shiro gasped out at the sight of him. He dropped Keith’s hand and walked quickly to his bedside. There were so many tubes and wires and electrodes. He looked like more machine than man. Thankfully he was breathing on his own and appeared to be mostly lucid.

“Takashi. It’s so good to see you, my boy.” He reached a frail hand up and patted him on the arm. Shiro splayed himself over the bed, hugging his grandfather as best as he could. Keith stepped around to the other side of him and laid a hand on his shoulder. It took a moment for Keith’s face to register to him. As soon as he realized, his face split into a wide grin. “Little kit!” He cried with a laugh, coughing just slightly.

“Hey Jiji.” Keith answered, his own smile slightly more reserved.

“Where’s your troublemaker brother, Takashi?” He said, turning back to Shiro. “I need the whole set!” He laughed. “He’s in the hallway, the nurses didn’t want too many people in at once.” He made a dismissive noise. “Ryou!” He called just a bit too loudly, and punctuated the name with a cough.” Father and son both popped their heads in the door.

  
“He wants Kuro, sorry dad.” Shiro offered a sheepish grin. Kuro stepped inside and stood at the foot of the bed. “There we go. My 3 little piggies.” He said quietly with a chuckle. “It warms an old man’s heart that you would come from all over to see him.”

Shiro’s eyes swam with tears. “We’d come across the galaxy to see you if you needed us, Jiji.” Keith nodded and squeezed his shoulder. Kuro chuckled. “Absolutely.” A quiet sigh gave way to a huge yawn. “Why don’t you get some sleep, old man. We’ll all be here in the morning. You need your rest.” Shiro said with a fond smile through his tears. His grandfather was very obviously fighting to stay awake.

“You came all this way, I want to spend time with you.” He said stubbornly. It was clearly a family trait.

Kuro turned and put the TV on, an ancient rerun of Quiz Millionaire was playing. “There, we’ll all sit in here with you and see who wins this dumb show.” Keith frowned. “Didn’t they take that off the air in 2013?” Shiro and Kuro both laughed. “Why do you know that?” They both said at the same time.

Jiji smiled and patted Keith’s hand. “Kit is going to win the quiz game. He knows things.” All four of them laughed and got comfortable in the various chairs sitting around the room. Eventually Ryou and Yumi were able to dodge the nurses and crowd into the small room. There weren’t enough chairs for everyone so Yumi ended up sitting on the edge of her father’s bed.

Keith stood up and offered his chair to Ryou right away. “No, no, sit. It’s fine.” Keith frowned.

Kuro smirked. “He can just sit on Tak’s lap, dad.” They both went bright red, but Keith walked over and planted himself down on Shiro’s thigh. Ryou chuckled but took the now-free seat. Shiro’s face burned with heat as he wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist. He wasn’t sure if this was the most uncomfortable he’d ever been or if he never wanted it to end. Maybe both.

At midnight the nurses came and kicked them all out for the night. They could sit in the waiting room until 5am or go home, but they couldn’t stay in Jiji’s room, the nurses explained. They decided they’d all go home for the night and come back as soon as everyone was up the next day. The nurses impatiently waited for all 5 of them to give hugs or kisses or both to the ailing man in the bed.

Ryou and Yumi drove back together in his car that had already been at the hospital, leaving Kuro to drive Shiro and Keith home. Yumi ended up being completely right, Kuro did drive way too fast, but that suited both of them just fine. That meant less time they had to spend awkwardly answering Kuro’s third degree. They’d only outlined a vague timeline for their fake-relationship but they were able to answer seemingly well enough to sate Kuro’s curiosity, for now at least.

They got home well before Mr. and Mrs. Shirogane, and Kuro immediately headed to his bedroom. Shiro and Keith headed to the room they were sharing and shut the door quietly. “I uh... I can wait until my parents go to sleep and then go crash on the couch, if you want.” Shiro murmured, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort.

Keith yawned and shook his head. “It’s fine, it’s a big bed.” He pulled Shiro’s shirt off and tossed it on top of his rumpled uniform that Shiro hadn’t noticed before. He started pulling his jeans off and Shiro turned bright red and looked away. Keith crawled under the covers and his eyes slid shut almost at once.

Shiro took a deep breath and removed his own shirt and pants. He turned off the light before slipping under the covers next to Keith. He was so close that Shiro could feel the warmth radiating off of his skin. It was comforting and grounding in a way that he couldn't explain. He let the feeling lull him off into a peaceful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Sunlight streamed through the small part in the curtains and gently lifted Shiro into the land of the living. Normally he was one of those irritating people who could just hop out of bed ready to face the day as soon as his eyes opened, but the first thing he saw that morning held him fast in place.

An unruly mop of dark hair was tucked underneath his chin, one of Keith’s arms was looped over his waist, and his legs were tangled from thigh to ankle with Keith’s. He couldn’t remember a time he’d been so well rested, or had woken up so comfortable and warm. Keith’s soft, even breathing against his chest lulled him back to sleep after a very weak attempt to untangle their limbs.

Several hours later, Kuro crept into the room quietly. He snickered at the sight before him and couldn’t help but snap a picture. He sent it, along with the caption “Dawwww aren’t they cute?” to Allura before jumping onto the bed with a cry of “Goooood Moooorniiiiing!” Shiro nearly jumped out of his skin and ended up rolling off the bed, knocking over the bedside table as he went down. Surprising all three of them, Keith’s first instinct was to grapple the unknown assailant. He flipped Kuro around and pinned him with a forearm across his throat and his left hand ready to punch before his conscious brain took over just slightly.

Shiro grabbed his, thankfully unbroken, glasses from the floor near the remains of the table and surveyed the scene. His cheeks tinged bright red and he laughed at the juxtaposition of Keith’s bed head with confused and tired expression, and the position in which he was currently holding Kuro very much at his mercy. Kuro regained his senses and pushed the smaller, sleepy man off of his chest and onto the other side of the bed. Keith went down like a flour sack and stayed down, seemingly already fast asleep again.

Kuro raised an eyebrow at Shiro, still laughing from the floor. “Anyway, mom and dad wanna get back to the hospital soon, so hurry up and shower or whatever.” He grumbled, obviously miffed that his prank didn’t quite go as planned. Shiro shooed him out of the room and walked back over to Keith’s side.

He sat down and placed a hand gently on Keith’s shoulder. “Hey, Keith, time to get up.” Keith grumbled something under his breath that Shiro couldn’t hear.

He leaned down closer to try to hear better, but Keith had already stopping mumbling, so Shiro called his name again. Keith reached his hand up behind Shiro’s neck and pulled hard. Not expecting the sudden force, Shiro toppled down on top of him. Apparently nearly being squished was enough to wake Keith up and he blinked up at Shiro in confusion. He dropped his hand like he’d been burned. “Uhhh… I’m kind of a heavy sleeper, sorry.”

Shiro pulled himself back up and laughed. “It's fine, we should probably get ready to head back to the hospital, though.”

Keith nodded, still trying to get his brain to catch up. “Did I just… pin you to the bed by your throat?” He asked with a grimace.

Shiro grinned. “No, that was Kuro. And he deserved it, so don't feel bad.” Keith chuckled in response. “Yeah that checks out.” He mumbled as he stood and grabbed his clothes from the floor.

Shiro's jaw went slack at the sight of Keith's bare back. A large rocket took up nearly the entire left side; it was beautifully done and the detail work was incredible. Shiro couldn't help but brush the tips of his fingers over it. Keith didn't flinch, but he did turn around slowly, pulling the shirt on over his head quickly. “Is that…? Did you get a Saturn V tattooed on your back?” Shiro finally stammered out.

Keith rubbed the back of his neck and blushed. “Yeah, I was really drunk and a bunch of us ended up at a sketchy parlor… I got the lineart done that night and liked it enough to get it finished.”

Shiro shook his head and gave Keith an amused smile. “You got drunk so you got a rocketship tattooed on your back?” Keith smirked up at him.

“Come on, Shiro. The only thing we were more obsessed with than Apollo was Transformers. I know it's been a while, but you know me.” Shiro tried to laugh but it came out as a half groan.

“Yeah, I really do.” He whispered. His eyes threatened to water as he pulled Keith into a hug.

He pulled back after a long moment and smiled at Keith, not knowing what to say. “What was that for?” He asked with a small, lopsided smile. “I'm just… really glad you're here.”

Keith patted his arm. “Me too.” Shiro could have sworn that he was going to say something else, but he headed off for the bathroom instead, leaving Shiro dazed and a little giddy, still in just his boxers.

After both of them were showered and had eaten breakfast, Kuro put his hand on Shiro's shoulder before he could get into his brother's car. “Change of plans, bro. You go with Mom and Dad. Keith and I need some quality time.” He gave Shiro a toothy grin that shot panic down his spine.

Keith gave him the slightest bit of a raised eyebrow but said nothing as he hopped into the passenger seat. “Don't… do anything weird.” Shiro gritted out as he begrudgingly made his way to his parents’ car. Kuro just waved pleasantly before slipping into the driver's seat.

The conversation didn't start right away, but Kuro’s overly relaxed posture set Keith on edge. “Look,” he started, grabbing Keith's attention back from watching the scenery fly by. “I know you're a good guy, but I'd be a crappy brother if I didn't give you the whole spiel, so don't make it weird.” Keith swallowed hard and nodded. Kuro risked a quick glance at him before setting his eyes back on the road. “What exactly are your intentions here?”

Keith furrowed his brows. “My… intentions?” Kuro frowned.

“Yeah, like, what are you going for? What's your plan, as far as you and Takashi are concerned?” He replied, exasperation leaking into his voice.

Keith's eyes went wide. “We're just,” _friends_ he almost blurted out, blowing their cover completely. “Trying to figure out how we fit back into each other's lives. We haven't…” He took a steadying breath. “We haven't been seeing each other very long, so it's not like we're gonna run off to Vegas and elope as soon as we get home.” He was slightly miffed at Kuro's implications that his intentions would be bad.

“I'm here right now because Jiji is important to me, too. I know I'll never be as close with him as you guys since I'm not really family, but he still had a big impact on me when I was a kid. And I know Shiro's really worried about him, so I wanted to be here for him, too.” He crossed his arms and looked down at his feet. Kuro made an affirming humming noise in response.

“Alright, good answer.” He drummed his fingers on the wheel in time with the music on the radio. “Look, he's a giant nerd and I know we fight sometimes, but he's my brother. I have to be here to take care of our parents, but if I have to fly to LA to kick your ass for breaking his heart, I absolutely will.” Keith's cheeks turned bright red. The only saving grace of the situation was that Shiro wasn't here to see this.

“I would never do anything to hurt Shiro. Ever.” He grumbled out.

“Then why did you guys stop talking in the first place?” Kuro asked quietly, pulling the car to a stop on the side of the road.

Keith sighed. “I don't know. I wish we hadn't.” He said quietly, looking down at his hands. “We both just… got busy. It's nobody's fault. And we're talking now, so.” Kuro looked at him as he trailed off and sighed when he refused to look back.

“I've been watching you assholes dance around each other since 7th grade. Just…” He slapped a hand on Keith's shoulder. “You guys are really good together, so don't screw this up.” Keith finally looked up at him, expression inscrutable.

“I won't.” He answered with a strained voice. Kuro nodded and pulled the car back onto the road.

..

Shiro felt like a little kid again, sitting in the backseat of his parents’ car as they sat quietly in the front. He knew they were exhausted mentally and physically from his grandfather’s ordeal, but it was still indescribably nice to be all together as a family again. His mother turned around a little to look at him as she spoke. “So? You and Keith?” Her voice had the barest hint of amusement. He saw his father's lip twitch up into the beginning of a wry smile.

“Uh yeah,” Shiro said, clearing his throat. “Crazy, right?” She gave him a look that he was much more familiar seeing aimed at his brother.

It was half _I love my son_ and half _I can't believe I raised such a moron._ “The only crazy thing is that it took so long.” Shiro's cheeks erupted pink. “How long have I been telling you to marry that boy? 15 years?” He couldn't meet her eyes.

“It's still really early for all that, mom. Why aren't you harping on Kuro and Allura? They've been together for years!” He quickly changed the subject.

She gave him a teasing glare. “Oh I am! I'm an old woman now, it's time for some grandbabies and you two are taking your sweet time!” Shiro laughed and shook his head.

His father reached over, eyes still on the road, and patted her leg. “You're as a spry as a spring chicken, my love. Don't rush the boys, they're still young.” She turned her glare on her husband, giving Shiro a respite for the moment.

“Ryou, if you think flattery will distract me,” she started, sternly. “You are absolutely right.” She finished with a bright smile. All three of them laughed as she pressed a kiss to his cheek and he scolded her about distracted driving. Shiro smiled as his parents continued to chatter away with each other.

He couldn't help the blush that formed over his cheeks as he imagined himself and Keith doing the same thing in 30 years. He shook his head and reminded himself to focus. He had to be here for his grandfather until he was well, and they'd figure out whatever was going on between them when they got home.

..

They spent most of the day by Jiji’s side. Reminiscing about hikes up the mountains to stargaze, road trips to observatories, weekend movie marathons and lazy Sunday afternoons. He was already getting some color back into his cheeks and could talk more without his chest seizing up and sending him into coughing fits.

Kuro kept looking at his phone, looking at Shiro and Keith, looking back down and snickering as he typed. Keith had seemed uncomfortable since they'd gotten to the hospital that morning and Shiro was determined to find out exactly what he'd done to weird Keith out. He made an excuse and pulled Kuro out into the hallway.

“Ok, what are you doing?” Shiro said, frowning and crossing his arms.

“What?” Kuro said, still looking down at his phone with a dumb grin. “You're being super weird!” He growled out, trying to keep his voice down.

“Allura's been gone for a week, we're just texting. She's sending me funny… uh memes.” Shiro's frown deepened.

“Ok, if they're so funny why don't you show me?” He made a swipe for Kuro's phone but he pocketed it before Shiro could grab it.

“No! We're uh. It's private. We're sexting.” He rushed out, eyes wide and not looking at Shiro. His classic _I'm definitely lying_ face, Shiro knew.

He made the same one most of the time. “You’re sexting… with memes?” Kuro swallowed hard before putting a cocky grin back on his face.

“Yeah, it's the new cool thing. You wouldn't understand, you're too old.” Shiro narrowed his eyes.

“I'm literally 12 minutes older than you.” He pointed out, not buying Kuro's story at all.

“They were an important 12 minutes!” Kuro blurted loudly. The nurses glared at them.

Their grandfather's doctor gave them a strange look as she moved past them to head into the room. Shiro glared harder at him. “This conversation isn't over.” He grumbled as they followed the doctor back inside.

The doctor was already by Jiji's bed and patted his arm after checking his chart and verifying a few details. “Well, I don't want to get your hopes up, but if things keep progressing like this, you might be out of here by the weekend.” She smiled at him happily. Everyone in the room brightened up immediately. Excited chattering bubbled out about what to get as celebration dinner as the doctor left.

They whiled away the evening in much better spirits, which left Shiro a lot more energy to think about his situation now that he wasn’t so worried. Every time Keith would laugh or smile as the conversation carried on and every memory they shared with Jiji about their fun adventures growing up, he couldn’t help the butterflies in his stomach and the shy smile that bloomed on his face. He knew he was setting himself up for heartbreak but he couldn’t shake the feeling.

Kuro, of course, noticed his not-so-subtle staring and kept looking down at his phone and texting about it. It might have been a little paranoid on Shiro’s part, but he was pretty confident his brother was up to something, he just hoped Allura would have the decency to put an end to anything too dumb. He wasn’t entirely sure what someone so sensible saw in Kuro. He frowned. “So how’s Allura doing then, Kuro? Shouldn’t she be on the flight by now?” He asked pointedly.

Kuro rolled his eyes. “She has wifi on the flight, it’s international.” He turned back to their grandfather, ignoring Shiro’s glare.

“Allura’s coming with us in the morning, too, Jiji. I know she'll be excited to tell you all about the Sydney Space Conference.” He smiled up at Kuro from the bed.

“I was wondering when my sweet girl would come see me. I thought she didn't like me anymore.” Everyone laughed.

Kuro patted his arm. “She still loves you, she just had to give a very important talk about her research.” He nodded up at his grandson and smiled, yawning.

“Good, she is a good girl.” Yumi smiled at the pair.

“Ok, let's let Jiji rest. We'll be back in the morning.” She said, herding everyone into getting their things together. Everyone gave hugs and kisses and wished him a good night before filing out. The ride back was much less eventful and Shiro and Keith opted to both go with his parents so Kuro could head back to the airport and wait for Allura’s arrival.

As they were getting ready for bed, Keith pulled Shiro aside. His cheeks were pink. “Hey, uh, can we make a Walmart run? Or whatever Japan’s version of Walmart is?” He asked quietly.

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Did you need something? I’m sure mom and dad have way too much toothpaste and deodorant and stuff if you ran out.”

Keith sighed. “I only had a couple days of clothes in my flight bag, so I’m out of... “ He looked to the side and his blush darkened. “I’m kind of out of clean boxers.”

Shiro chuckled awkwardly. “Can you make it through ‘til tomorrow? We can stop off in the morning and grab stuff before we go back to see Jiji.”

Keith nodded and his complexion began approaching normal again. “Yeah, sure.”

Shiro smiled and stretched. “Well, it’s getting pretty late, I think I’m gonna go to bed.”

Keith shifted his weight. “About that…”

Shiro’s smile faded. “I can sleep on the couch if you want, it’s really no trouble.” Keith rolled his eyes.

“You don’t have to do that, I just… I don’t want it to be awkward. I know I’m kind of…”

Shiro flashed him a small smirk. “An octopus?” Shiro finished for him.

  
Keith’s eyes went wide and he batted gently at Shiro’s arm. “I am NOT an octopus!” Shiro laughed and half-heartedly dodged his playful slaps.

“Ok, but when I woke up you were-” Keith shoved him onto the bed to interrupt him, which earned him a hearty laugh and a tossed pillow.

“Forget it! Just go to sleep, Takashi.” He half-shouted, half-grumbled as he threw the pillow back. He pulled off his shirt and climbed into the far side of the bed. Shiro clicked the lamp off and laid down properly.

“For what it’s worth,” Shiro started quietly, feeling bold now that the lights were off and he didn’t have to see Keith’s reaction. “It didn’t bother me. It was actually kind of nice.” He wasn’t sure if Keith even heard him, because he didn’t reply. Shiro tried not to worry about it, he’d fallen asleep really quickly the night before, so he might have already been out cold. Keith stared at the wall in the dark, willing his heart to stop hammering or his limbs to roll over and pull Shiro close. It was a long while before they both fell asleep on opposite sides of the bed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long to update ;_; between the Valentine's exchange, Shiro's birthday exchange, and having surgery I bit off way more than I could chew at once. But I'm back!!
> 
> Recovery from surgery was waaaay more difficult than I was expecting and I've been in a bit of a slump. I'm not super happy with how this turned out, but I couldn't make myself look at it any more.

Shiro woke up the next morning with a warm weight draped over his back and shoulders. He'd fallen asleep on his side, facing the wall, and woken up there as well; Keith had moved at some point and ended up tucking his head in between Shiro's shoulders and twisting their legs together. It wasn't often that Shiro got the chance to cuddle with anyone, and it was even rarer for him to be the small spoon in the arrangement so he intended to savor the safe, warm feeling as long as possible.

Ever thankful for his long arms, Shiro stretched to the edge of the bedside table and was able to retrieve his phone and glasses. He checked the news, the weather, instagram, and his email as Keith snoozed away. Every once in a while he'd snuggle deeper into Shiro's back or mumble something in his sleep. Shiro's stomach did somersaults of fondness every time.

Having run out of his usual internet business to attend to, he decided to message Matt. “How's Black doing?” The reply came back almost right away, a picture of his precious girl with her big green eyes and coal black fur with a tiny V of white on her chest. The caption read, “she's a purrrfect angel of course :3”

Shiro couldn't help but laugh at Matt's silly pun. Keith rustled from behind him and Shiro turned his head. “Sorry,” he whispered as Keith blinked awake.

He pulled himself closer and hooked his chin over Shiro's shoulder, resting their cheeks together. “Mmm… that's a pretty cat.” He mumbled, still half asleep.

Shiro's brain short circuited as Keith nuzzled into his face, still mostly asleep. He swallowed hard. “Her name's Black.” He replied quietly.

Keith hummed contentedly. “S’a boring name.” He mumbled. Shiro would have shaken his head, but it was weighed down by Keith's. He wasn't sure how Keith was carrying on most of a conversation while almost completely asleep, but it was pretty impressive, he had to admit. Shiro's phone dinged again. This time the picture was of Black draped over Matt's lap, she took up nearly the entire thing. Shiro chuckled and sent a heart eyes smiley in response. He was really lucky to have someone to look after his best girl while he was gone.

Keith jolted behind him and stuck his head close to Shiro's phone. “Oh my god, that's the biggest cat I've ever seen!” He grabbed the phone and rolled over onto his back to look at it more closely. Shiro laughed and turned around as well. Keith's brows were furrowed and he was holding the phone way too close to his face. “That’s gotta be photoshop.” He deadpanned at Shiro. He smiled wide and took his phone back, opening the camera roll.

“Be nice to her, she's a good cat. She's just a bigger gal, is all.” He had an entire album of pictures, and Keith scooted in close to see them. Their foreheads were almost touching. The fluttering in Shiro's stomach grew worse with every ooh and aww from Keith as he scrolled through the photos. “When we get back home, you can come see her in person.” Shiro squeaked out, suddenly shy. “She's really sweet, loves new people.” Keith turned and smiled at him.

“I'd really like that.” Keith took a deep breath and flitted his eyes away. “So, about when we get back…” Shiro's breath caught in his throat as Keith spoke. “Maybe, we could, I don't know…” A loud knock at the door interrupted Keith's words and Kuro popped his head in. Shiro gave him a dirty look and tossed a pillow at him.

“What if we were naked?” He groused.

Kuro laughed and threw the pillow back. “Pffft, yeah right. You guys have barely hugged since you've been here.” He scoffed dismissively. Shiro's cheeks colored and his frown deepened. “Anyway, we're gonna get going to the hospital soon, so hurry up.”

Keith shot Shiro a half pleading, half questioning look. “Keith needs to pick up some clothes first, I was going to drop by Don Quijote’s on the way.” Shiro mumbled through a yawn as he threw back the covers and started getting out bed. Kuro raised an eyebrow. “Don't give me that, he was already at the airport when you called and thought his flight bag had more stuff. He doesn't want to have to wash the same 2 outfits the whole time we're here.”

Allura poked her head around the corner, cheek resting on Kuro's bicep. “Hi, hate to be an eavesdropper, but I absolutely forbid that from happening.” Keith looked up in surprise.

Shiro sighed. “It's cheap, and quick and on the way.” He argued.

Allura put her hands on her hips. “It's also terrible quality and always disgusting. I can't believe you'd put your boyfriend through such an ordeal.”

Keith frowned. “It's no big deal, I prefer practical over most things.” She shook her head.

“No, no. I'll take you to a real store where you can get a proper few days worth of clothes, and we can get to know each other.” She smiled at Keith.

He had no idea what to make of her. She seemed friendly enough but he wasn't particularly excited about the thought of spending the morning without Shiro. He glanced over to gauge Shiro's reaction. He was glaring at Kuro suspiciously. “Up to you.” He said with a slight frown once he noticed Keith's gaze on him.

“Yeah, uh. Let me just, get cleaned up first.” He stammered out.

Allura beamed. “Great! We'll be in the living room when you're ready!” She shut the door quickly. Keith sighed. Shiro's family probably wanted time alone without him tagging along, so it was really the least he could do.

Shiro put a hand on his shoulder. “Don't worry, Allura's great. I'm sure you guys will have a good time.” Keith nodded and gave him a small smile.

“Yeah, I'm sure we will.” He said, feigning some semblance of confidence as he got up to head to the bathroom.

He was still reeling from what had transpired that morning with Shiro as he toweled off his hair and got dressed. Sleep cuddling was one thing, that he had a plausible excuse for, but laying in bed together, looking at pictures of Shiro’s cat? Shiro being back in his life at all was enough to make his head spin, but the thought of going home and trying to go back to casually seeing each other as friends made Keith’s stomach turn. That in itself was part of the reason they’d lost touch in the first place, at least on Keith’s part. He had thought he was over his feelings after all this time, but apparently they’d just been lurking down deep, waiting to resurface. Keith shook his head to clear his mind and headed to find the others. 

Shiro wasn’t in his room, so Keith walked quietly into the living room and couldn’t help but feel out of place as Shiro, Kuro, and Allura carried on a spirited conversation he didn’t understand. Allura was the first to spot him standing there awkwardly and smiled at him. She swatted Kuro’s arm lightly and kissed him on the cheek, switching the conversation to English. “Don’t be mean to your brother, you bully.”

He made a face at her. “I’m never mean.” He answered with a laugh, flicking her on the nose and chasing it with a kiss. Her smile lit up the room.

Keith’s cheeks tinged pink, he felt like he was intruding on a private moment between them. He risked a glance at Shiro and the look on his face made it clear he wasn’t alone in the feeling. Kuro’s comment about their lack of affectionate displays was weighing on Keith’s mind, he didn’t want things to be weird with Shiro’s family. He quietly knocked their elbows together and tried not to flinch as Shiro slid an arm around his waist. Kuro gave them a look Keith couldn’t place, and whispered something into Allura’s ear. Allura laughed quietly and extracted herself from her boyfriend's embrace. She turned towards Keith and smiled sweetly. “Well, shall we then?”

Keith nodded and turned toward Shiro, leaning up and pressing a soft kiss on his cheek. “See ya at the hospital.” He murmured quietly before following Allura out to the car. Shiro smiled as he watched Keith leave, holding a hand to his cheek.

He caught himself just a moment too late and looked up at his brother; Kuro was wearing a sly smirk and typing away on his phone again. Shiro frowned.

..

Keith had been expecting the ride to the department store to be awkward and boring, but he was pleasantly surprised. Allura was as funny and charming as she was smart and beautiful. Keith mused over how lucky Kuro was.

They had a fair bit in common; Shiro's grandfather had instilled a love of astronomy in him from an early age and Allura's work in astrophysics was infinitely fascinating to him. Plus, they both enjoyed the same extreme cupcake baking reality shows and niche sci-fi horror that neither Shirogane twin could stand.

When they got to the store, Keith made a beeline for the undergarments and tossed the cheapest, plainest package he could find in his basket. Allura tutted behind him. His ears heated and he could feel himself blushing, but he couldn't hold back his question. “Is something wrong?” He gritted out.

Allura grinned mischievously and held up a pair of red silk boxers with hearts and winky kissy emojis on them. “I think Shiro would appreciate these a little better.” She said, playfully shaking them.

Keith snatched them out of her hands and put them in the basket, face burning redder than the underwear. Allura's phone dinged for the fourth or fifth time since they left the house, but she ignored it in favor of wrapping an arm around Keith's shoulders. “Why don't we pick out something nice for you? We might go out for a fancy celebration dinner once Jiji can come home.” Her grin seemed friendly but the steel grip on his shoulder didn't leave much room for dissent.

His normal preference for clothing while not at work was board shorts and a t-shirt, not at all the sleek, subtly patterned dark fabrics Allura was holding up next to him. “Hmm, the violet really brings out your eyes, I think you need to try this one on.” She smiled as she shoved another handful of hangers into his arms. He pulled the door of the changing room closed and tried on the slacks and shirt Allura had insisted on.

Stepping out of the dressing room a few moments later, he blushed as Allura let out a low whistle. “Oh yes, we'll definitely be getting these.” She said with a wide smile. She pushed two more outfits into his arms that were much more casual, thankfully. “Allura, as much as I appreciate the fashion advice,” He gritted out, trying to sound grateful and not as awkward as he felt, “I feel like we should be getting back to the hospital. I came here to see Jiji, not be a tourist.” Allura looked around quickly before nodding.

“I completely understand.” Her features softened. “I just thought it would be nice for our boys to have some time alone with their grandfather, and I wanted to get to know you a bit better. You're a bit of a legend in the Shirogane household you know.” Keith's cheeks burned red. He was surprised Shiro talked about him at all anymore, much less enough to be a _legend._ He stammered out a few unintelligible noises and Allura chuckled. “Look, I know it's a lot. Just forget I said anything. You and Shiro seem to be quite the smart match, so consider yourself having earned my stamp of approval for whatever that's worth.” She finished, smiling at him warmly.

He returned her smile, but couldn't quite meet her eyes. This trip just kept getting stranger and stranger. “Um, thanks. I… guess we are a pretty good match.” She chuckled at him and gently nudged him towards the changing room again. “Alright, try those out and if they fit we'll head to the hospital straight away.” He nodded and went back to put them on. Even though they were still a bit flashier than his usual casual wear, they were comfortable enough, so after an enthusiastic thumbs up from Allura, Keith bought them as well. As they were checking out, Keith spied some giant novelty sunglasses and couldn’t pass them up. Allura gave him a strange look. “What? It’ll make Jiji laugh and you know it.” He said with an embarrassed smile. She insisted that he wear them all the way to the hospital.

..

When they first walked into Jiji’s room, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at him in shock. He was starting to feel a little self-conscious and moved to take the glasses off before the room erupted in laughter. “Oh, Kit.” Jiji’s shoulders shook with his laughter as he motioned Keith to him. He wrapped his frail arms around Keith’s shoulders and pulled with surprising strength. Keith couldn’t help but laugh along.

Shiro pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it up. “Ok, I have to have a picture of this.” Keith’s cheeks tinged pink but he nodded and turned, pressing his cheek up against Jiji’s, both smiling wide. The laughter abated after a few moments, and Shiro busied himself forwarding the photo as requested. He couldn’t help but stop and admire it; Keith’s earnest grin, tousled hair, faint blush, and the ridiculous glasses, they all brought a fond smile to Shiro’s face. He heard his brother snicker and looked up to see him on his phone again. He frowned and sent the photo, noting Kuro having to switch to a different screen to look at it.

Conversation kept buzzing around the room and the silly glasses were passed from person to person. Shiro was pretty happy with the photos he'd managed to get, the group shot with Jiji wearing them with a huge smile and everyone standing behind him laughing was definitely going to be a magnet on his fridge when he got home. His brother shoved at his shoulder and nodded toward the group. “You haven't been in a single picture yet, Takashi, get in there!” Shiro shook his head and laughed.

He grabbed the glasses and slipped them on, looking over and giving Keith a wink. Keith's grin split into laughter. “Ok, pretend you like each other!” Kuro called in a pleasant sing-song. Both of their cheeks reddened and Keith moved to stand in front of him, draping Shiro's arms over his shoulders. He looked up from Shiro's chest and smiled fondly despite the strange angle.

Shiro wasn't quite tall enough to put his chin on Keith's head, but he stood on his tiptoes to make up the last small bit of height he was lacking. Kuro smiled as Keith laughed and held up a peace sign. He snapped the photo and texted it to both of them before sitting back down next to Allura.

Jiji was smiling wide and the color had finally started coming back into his cheeks. There were still tubes and wires and machines hooked up to him every which way, but he was looking healthier by the hour. He motioned Keith over and patted his cheek. “So, Takashi tells me you are a pilot now?”

Keith matched his grin and nodded. “I’m basically just a fancy bus driver, but at least I get to fly. There’s nothing else like it.” His dreamy look and broad grin made Shiro’s stomach flip and he couldn’t help the smile on his face. It dropped immediately when he saw Kuro smirking down at his phone again.

Kuro slipped his phone into his pocket and stood up from his chair, stretching. “I need some coffee. Anyone else want anything?” He mumbled through a yawn. Hearing no requests, he bent over and kissed Allura on the cheek before heading to the cafeteria. He hadn’t noticed as his phone slid loose from his pocket and sat innocently on the chair, mocking Shiro. He warred with himself very briefly before remembering all of the dumb pranks his brother had played on him in the past. He had to be up to something and Shiro was going to find out what it was, no matter the cost. The cafeteria was only a few floors away, so Shiro knew he had to act fast. Keith was enthralling everyone with a harrowing story of flying in a terrible storm and Shiro knew he wouldn’t get a better opening.

He stood up as stealthily as he could manage, slipping Kuro’s phone into his sleeve. “I’m just gonna head to the restroom, I’ll be right back.” He smiled and squeezed Keith’s shoulder on his way by. He walked as quickly down the hallway as he could without jogging. His hands shook as he slid the lock into place with a soft click. Pulling his glasses off, he squinted at the phone and activated the facial recognition lock. His heart pounded in his chest as the algorithm analyzed his features. After a few agonizing seconds, the screen finally slid upward and revealed the home screen.

Guilt wracked through him at the smiling picture of Allura that greeted him when he slid his glasses back onto his face. He clicked on the messages icon before he could talk himself out of it. Allura was, of course, his most recent contact and he only hesitated a second before clicking on it. He frowned as he read the most recent message. “God look at him, he’s so far gone and he doesn’t even know it” with a response of “don’t be mean, they’re sweet. U should have seen keith @ the mall :’)”

He blinked in shock at the screen. The messages didn’t make any sense. He scrolled up and saw a picture of himself and Keith from the morning before. Kuro must have taken it before jumping onto the bed and waking them up. He frowned again at the message below the already embarrassing caption; “I cant wait to b best man @ the wedding ;)” He kept scrolling, to the day before he arrived back in Japan. His brow furrowed as he read the messages.

K:“I will jump into the ocean if I have to deal with mom stress baking and Takashi dancing around his stupid friend again. I thought I was free from that hell like a decade ago. H e l p.”

A: “Dont b so dramatic. It sounds like theyr basically already an item, just pretend and ignore it.”

K: “Babe ur a genius”

A: “I am. What are you plotting?”

K: “Im just gonna act like theyre already together. Tak will be too awkward to correct me and I wont have to deal with the cringey high school flashbacks :D”

A: “call me right now”

He gritted his teeth and locked the phone. Throwing the door open, he paused for a moment at the furious face on the other side of the door. “Give it back, Takashi. That’s so not cool.” Shiro took a deep breath and pulled his brother into bathroom, slamming the door shut behind them.

He held the phone up and glared daggers into Kuro’s eyes. “What. The. Hell.” He managed to grit out through his clenched teeth.

Kuro snatched his phone out of Shiro’s hand and put it back into his pocket. “First of all, that was a MASSIVE invasion of my privacy-” Shiro pushed him against the wall, hard.

“Cut the bullshit, Ryou. Are you really that selfish? Do have any idea how hard the last 2 days have been?” Kuro’s teeth clenched in response.

“I am _helping_ you, Takashi. Just because you’re too thick-headed to-” Shiro shook him by the shoulders where he was still gripping tightly. Tears were beginning to build up in his eyes. “You are such an asshole.” His voice came out a broken whisper. “What’s the big problem? You idiots have been head over heels for each other since 8th grade! I was just speeding things along because nobody wanted to deal with your bullshit while Jiji was sick!”

Shiro had to take a step away and turn his back so that he didn’t resort to actually punching his brother. “ _My bullshit,”_ He mumbled under his breath with an incredulous chuckle. “That’s… you’re unbelievable, you know that?” Kuro didn’t respond, but his shocked face said enough. “Jiji has been out of surgery for 2 days!” He held up two fingers, shoving them into Kuro’s face. “2 days! And you’re already treating this like… like everything is fine and dandy and I’m here on some kind of vacation! Well I’m not!” Tears finally slid down his cheeks as his words croaked out.

Kuro stepped forward and put his hands on his brother’s shoulders. “Takashi… Jiji’s fine. You heard the nurse, he might be ready to go home this weekend.” Shiro couldn’t meet his eyes, focusing instead on the dirty tiles on the floor between them.

“This time.” He whispered.

Kuro pulled him into a hug. “He’s old, Tak. I know it’s sad, but everyone’s gotta go sometime.” Shiro’s shoulders shook as he clenched his hands into fists in his brother’s shirt and buried his head into the crook of his neck. “Takashi…” Kuro rubbed lightly up and down his back for a moment and waited for the shaking to stop. “Hey, look at me.” Shiro lifted his head and wiped his runny nose on the back of his sleeve.

“Do you have any idea how happy Jiji was when mom told him you and Keith were finally together?” Shiro’s face was already red from the tears, but it darkened even further with blush. “He was barely conscious from the anesthesia when he asked mom about us. I was already there, right next to mom as she held his hand.” Kuro grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and handed it to him as he continued. “I went and held his other hand and I said ‘don’t worry, Takashi will be here soon. He’s already on the plane. And you’ll never guess who he’s bringing!’ Tak, I swear, his eyes lit up brighter than they have in years. You know what he said?” Shiro blew his nose into the paper towel and tossed it into the basket. He shook his head. “He said, ‘Kit? All 3 of my boys here again?’ He looked _so_ happy.” Shiro looked back down at the floor and swallowed hard. “He’s not gonna be around forever, man, nobody is. You need to tell Keith how you feel, now. Before it’s too late. Life is too damn short.”

Shiro coughed and punched Kuro’s shoulder. “I’m still mad. And you’re still a jerk.” Kuro rubbed at the spot with a frown. “But… you’re right. I’ll talk to Keith tonight.” Kuro smiled and nodded at him.

“Clean up before you head back to the room, you’re a mess.” Shiro rolled his eyes as his brother slipped out of the small restroom and headed to the sink to splash water on his face and collect himself. He blotted his face dry and put his glasses back on so he could look at himself in the mirror. His face was a little red and puffy, but nothing too terrible. His stomach was starting to twist itself into knots, though. As much of an asshole as his brother was, he did have a point. He had to tell Keith everything. Tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consistent pacing and tone whomst??


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter after this. I'm sorry updates are taking so long. If the last chapter isn't out by the 8th, everyone subscribed to this fic has my explicit permission to come punch me in the face until I finish it. <3

As much fun as hyperventilating in front of a mirror in a dirty hospital bathroom was, Shiro tore himself away and clumsily washed his face again. The cool water was as jarring as ice against his skin. It wasn’t very often that he allowed himself to lose control, and he was reeling trying to put the pieces back together so he could get back to his family. Slow, deep breaths and several more splashes of frigid water had him approximating normal again.

Every time he tried to think about how he was going to tell Keith how he felt, his stomach dropped and his mouth went dry. Having spent a decidedly suspicious amount of time in the restroom, he steeled himself to pretend everything was fine and headed back to his grandfather’s room. Keith shot him a concerned look as he quietly stepped inside. He smiled apologetically and took the seat next to him. “Sorry, phone call.” Keith’s eyes narrowed just a hair, studying Shiro’s face, but if he didn’t the excuse he didn’t push it. He cleared his throat and turned toward Allura.

“So, how much conference talk did I miss? Any news on the new Australian space agency?” Allura smiled wide and nodded.

“I was just telling Jiji about the panel they did, actually. JAXA’s thrilled about it, which is excellent news for me! They loved my research and once the budget is approved I’ll have full access to ATNF!” Shiro smiled and congratulated her, trying to pay attention as Jiji asked question after question about her research. As distracted as he was in his mental rehearsal of his impending conversation with Keith, it was uplifting to see Jiji so mentally engaged even though he was still very much on the mend physically. It took its toll, though, sooner than any of them expected, his questions trailed off into yawns more often than not, despite his interested and excitement. They were herded out of the room by a nurse so that he could rest before the sun even went down. Hugs and heartfelt well wishes were exchanged with promises to be back bright and early, and the 6 of them headed back to the Shirogane homestead.

Too tired for the herculean effort of cooking for so many people, Shiro’s father made the suggestion of going out for supper that evening. “Oh, what a great idea, dad!” Kuro called, throwing an arm around Shiro’s shoulders and jostling his glasses. “We can have a triple date!” Allura shot Kuro a warning look, but plastered a smile onto her face. “After all, I bet with Keith’s flying schedule you guys don’t get a chance to go on many dates, do you?” He asked with a devious grin.

Shrio glared, pushing Kuro’s arm away and adjusting his glasses. “Well we can’t all be underwear models with rich girlfriends.” He grumbled as he pulled his glasses off and cleaned them with his shirt.

Kuro put his hands on his hips. “What was that?” He sputtered, offended.

Shiro cleared his throat and placed his glasses back on his face. “Nothing, I was just saying… we make things work around Keith’s schedule. Don’t we, honey?” Keith choked on air at the endearment but cleared his throat.

“Yeah. Yup. It’s... we definitely do. Lots of dates.” Allura grabbed Kuro’s arm and pulled him toward their room.

“Good, why don’t we all go get freshened up, then?” Shiro shot her a grateful smile and she sent him a nod of solidarity. Keith and Shiro headed into their shared room to deposit Keith’s shopping bags and change.

“He’s definitely the evil twin still.” Keith grumbled as he threw on one of the nicer shirts Allura had helped him pick out. Shiro laughed under his breath both at Keith’s joke and at Keith ripping the tag unceremoniously from the new shirt with no regard for the fabric underneath. Some things had changed so much, but it was still funny to him how many had stayed exactly the same. Keith looked over at him as he was buttoning up the navy material and flushed at his fond smile. Shiro cleared his throat and looked away, tossing on his own light grey button up. Sufficiently freshened up, they headed out to a casual family restaurant a short walk away.

The menu had large pictures of each menu item specifically with tourists in mind, but Shiro sat close and quietly translated the less common items for Keith as everyone decided what to order. “Aw, that’s sweet.” Shiro’s mother said, patting him on the knee. “Such a gentleman.” Keith and Shiro both blushed.

“Yeah, mom, I bet Shiro is the greatest boyfriend ever. Isn’t that right, Keith?” Kuro said with a cheshire grin. Allura’s glare was nearly as intense as Shiro’s, but Kuro didn’t falter a bit as he smiled at Keith.

Keith, to his credit, played the odd statement off without missing a beat. “He is. You should be very proud of him, Mrs. S. at least one of your sons turned out alright.” He said with a smirk in Kuro’s direction. Shiro covered up his laughter at his brother’s affronted look by coughing into his napkin. Yumi smiled and looked back down at her menu. Shiro knocked his shoulder gently into Keith’s and they shared a private, amused look. Having spent most of the afternoon talking and catching up with Jiji, Shiro and Keith were both content to just listen as the conversation buzzed around them. Shiro couldn’t help himself from casting sidelong glances at Keith. _Tonight_.

The word kept running through his mind. He was finally going to tell Keith how he felt. _Tonight._ He knew if he waited much longer, he’d talk himself out of it somehow. Between his own inner turmoil and Kuro’s constant probing looks, dinner seemed to take ages. Just as they were finishing up and preparing to head back, Keith’s phone rang loudly from his pocket. He frowned as he fished it out and looked at the number on the screen. “Sorry, this is work, I gotta take it.” Shiro nodded and slid his chair back slightly to make room for Keith to step outside.

The conversation wasn’t a long one, but Shiro could tell from Keith’s body language as he stomped back inside in a huff that it wasn’t a good one. “I’m so sorry to have to do this,” he said with a sigh, “but I have to fill in for a sick coworker for a red eye from Narita to Seoul.” He hung his head a little.

Shiro tried not to let the disappointment show on his face as he reached up and placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “It’s not a big deal, Keith. Jiji’s doing ok now, obviously your job is important and you need to go take care of it.”

Keith looked up at him and nodded. “I have to be at the airport in an hour and a half.” His face was twisted into an agitated pout. “I’ll be back by noon tomorrow, though.” Everyone else offered their support and understanding as they prepared to leave.

Once back at the house, Keith set about partially re-packing his flight bag and tossing on his slightly-wrinkled uniform. Shiro tried his best to not openly stare, but even rumpled as it was, the uniform still did wonders for Keith’s already mouth-watering figure. He looked at the bedside clock and wondered to himself if it would be cowardly to try to jam a love confession into the last twenty minutes before Keith had to leave for the night. While he didn’t end up finding out, he did decide that it was extremely cowardly to flee the room and pretend to be extremely interested in his father’s plans for going fishing with his friends from work next summer.

The ride to the airport was uneventful, and Shiro spent most of it worrying his bottom lip raw with his teeth. Keith quietly looked out the window for most of the trip, occasionally pulling at his uniform to try to straighten out some of the muss. Shiro pulled into the drop off area and turned to Keith, trying to force himself to act normal. “Well, fly safe.” He felt like his voice came out just a little too loudly, but Keith didn’t appear to be concerned. “Thanks, will do.” He smiled back at him and Shiro felt butterflies explode into his chest. Keith grabbed his bag from the back seat and waved as he walked into the airport.

Reeling from the emotional day, all Shiro wanted to do when he got home was go to sleep. Unfortunately for him, Kuro and Allura had other plans. He headed to his room after wishing his parents a good night, both of them hot on his heels. They walked in with him and shut the door. “Did you talk to him?” Kuro prodded.

Shiro rolled his eyes and threw himself dramatically on the bed, tossing his glasses onto the bedside table and covering his eyes with his arm. “I’m going to assume that means no.” Allura replied. Her tone was sympathetic almost to the point of pitying and a little condescending, but Shiro was too tired to call her on it. She sat down on the edge of the bed and patted his leg. With his Keith crisis postponed for 15 hours, Shiro remembered how furious he was supposed to be at both of them.

He moved his arm back down to his side and glared at her. “Why did you let him do this? This is at least 30% your fault.” Allura cringed and looked over at her boyfriend.

“He can be very persuasive. And you needed the push.” Shiro let out a long-suffering sigh.

Kuro rolled his eyes. “Ok, no need to be a drama queen about it. Have you decided what you’re gonna say?” Shiro groaned and sat up, rubbing a hand down his face.

He felt like he was 15 years old again. “Being fake boyfriends has been fun, let’s do it for real?” He offered sheepishly. Allura and Kuro both shook their heads emphatically.

Kuro took a deep breath and crawled onto the bed, sitting across from Shiro cross-legged. “Ok, here’s what you do: Get like, a bunch of balloons-” He started. Allura cut him off.

“I love you, darling, dearly and truly. But you are the least romantic person in the world.” Kuro’s shocked and offended face made Shiro feel a little bit better about the whole situation at least. She turned to Shiro after offering Kuro a conciliatory pat on the knee. “You know him better than anyone, do you think he’d like a big, “romantic” gesture?” She asked pointedly, air quotes and all.

Shiro shook his head. “No, not at all. He’s never liked flashy or showy. I should probably just sit him down and tell him that I’ve liked him since we were kids and see what he says, but…” He sighed and buried his face in his hands.

“But what?” Allura asked softly, rubbing his shoulder soothingly.

“It’s been really nice having him around the last couple of days. Like part of me that I didn’t realize was missing was suddenly back. What if I freak him out and he doesn’t want to stay in touch after we get back to LA?” His voice came out barely above a whisper.

It was Kuro’s turn to groan dramatically. “I don’t know how to make it more clear to you: He’s into you. You’re not going to freak him out. Just. Do. It.” He gritted out. Allura shot him a sideways glance and his expression softened. “Look, I spent three months making excuses to go to the observatory every weekend before I finally got up the nerve to ask Allura out and that just about drove me up the wall. I don’t know how you’ve been doing this for decades, but even if he says he’s not interested, he flew halfway across the world to be here for you and for Jiji. No matter what, he’s invested in your friendship at the very least. He’s not just going to ditch you. Not again.”

Shiro nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Kuro slapped his shoulder gently. “You got this, man.”

Allura smiled at them both and grabbed Kuro’s hand. “Ok, we’ll get out of your hair and let you sleep, Shiro. Good luck tomorrow.” They stood up from the bed and headed out to their own room.

“Thanks, guys. You’re the best.” He smiled as they shut the door behind them. Keith would be back tomorrow afternoon and they could talk. No matter what, they’d still be friends. It would be fine. Probably. Shiro swallowed hard and turned off the light.

The next morning was dreary and rainy, which had everyone moving slowly. They filed away to the hospital like usual, only to bump into the doctor as they entered Jiji’s room. “Ah good, you’re all here.” She said with a smile, adjusting her clipboard. “I was just telling Mr. Shirogane, everything looks great. The incisions are healing just fine and will dissolve on their own over time. His tests have all come back with satisfactory results and he should be ready to go home tomorrow afternoon.” Everyone smiled and cheered and all moods were instantly lifted. Jiji’s smile lit up the room.

He was immediately surrounded by hugs on all sides. “Oh, thank goodness. The food here is so bad!” He said with chuckles of his own, patting heads and backs and returning cheek kisses.

Ryou smiled. “Don’t worry dad, we’ll have a big feast tomorrow night! All your favorites. No holds barred.” Jiji grinned up at him. “This is why you are my favorite son.”

He patted him on the back. “Well, I’m your only son, but I’ll take it.”

Allura bumped Kuro with her hip. “I see the sense of humor runs in the family.” She ribbed, smiling at him.

He stuck his tongue out at her. “You know you think we’re funny. Admit it.” She laughed and squealed as he pulled her close and pretended to lick her cheek. Jiji let out a boisterous belly laugh that ended in a cough at their antics. He looked around the room for a moment and then back up at Shiro. “Where is Kit?”

Shiro grimaced apologetically. “He had to fill in at work, he should be back later this afternoon. It was just a quick back and forth to Seoul late last night.”

Jiji nodded. “Well he’s missing out on this fun!” He threw up his arms as high as he was able with all of the apparatus attached to him.

Shiro chuckled. “He’ll be really happy to see you at home, I’m sure. We can do a puzzle in the living room, like we used to.”

Jiji smiled up at him. “I’ll have to supervise. My hands are not as steady as they once were.” Shiro returned his smile and nodded. His phone started buzzing in his pocket, so he fished it out with a frown. It was Keith.

“Hey, Keith. Did you get back early?” Shiro tried to keep the mild panic out of his voice. There was a lot of wind in the background.

“No, unfortunately!” Keith was nearly shouting but it was still hard to hear him. “There’s a really bad storm! We won’t be able to take off until it passes! Hopefully tonight!”

Shiro’s eyebrows shot up. “Just keep me posted. Make sure you stay safe out there.” Shiro’s stomach started tying itself in knots again. The wind died down a little and Shiro could hear Keith’s heavy breaths through the static. “Thanks, I will! Gotta go!” The line clicked and Shiro pocketed his phone. He peered out the window at the light drizzle.

“Is everything ok?” Yumi asked, brows furrowed in concern. “Oh, yeah, yeah it’s fine.” He gestured to the window. “Apparently that goes all the way to Korea.” He said with a chuckle. “Keith’s flight is grounded until the storm passes. Wind must be too strong.” The conversation moved along and Shiro did his best to keep up with it. His looming conversation with Keith was taking up almost all of his concentration, as much as he tried to push it down. It would happen when it happened and it would be fine. At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself.

The morning faded into afternoon into early evening before his phone rang again. By this point, he’d been too anxious to eat more than a few bites of lunch or dinner and his stomach was warring between hunger and nausea as he answered the phone. “Hey.” He murmured breathlessly by way of greeting. “Hey yourself.” Shiro smiled fondly at Keith’s soft tone. “I just got the all clear for takeoff in a few minutes. I should be touching down in Narita in less than 3 hours.” Keith sounded exhausted but relieved.

Another wave of anxiety shot through Shiro’s gut. “Ok, I’ll be there.”

“Thanks. See you soon.” He started panicking all over again as they said their goodbyes. Should he go get flowers? Did Keith even like flowers? Was he allergic? Shiro had no idea. Better safe than sorry, he decided to forgo the flowers. The next 3 hours went by excruciatingly slowly as Shiro ruminated over every possible scenario that could occur upon Keith’s arrival. His mother had asked him several times if he was feeling ok, even going so far as to check his forehead for a fever. He’d assured everyone he was fine, just worried about Keith, and made sure to avoid looking in his brother’s direction at any cost.

Eventually, after what felt like several lifetimes, he was finally at the airport, watching as Keith approached the car. He threw open the back door and tossed his bag in before climbing into the passenger seat with a soft smile in Shiro’s direction. “Sorry about that, thanks for coming to get me.”

Shiro returned his smile. “Sure thing. Good to have you back.” Keith’s smile widened as he slipped his seat belt on and got comfortable.

“Good to be back.” He replied. Shiro chuckled to himself at the fond memories of those phrases being exchanged after summer camps and winter vacations spent apart. He was glad Keith remembered.

It wasn’t a long drive at off-peak hours, thankfully. Shiro spent it wracking his brain for how to start the conversation he’d been dreading all day. As they pulled into the driveway, he put the car into park, took a deep breath and looked over at Keith, finally ready. Keith was completely knocked out, his face was smushed against the window and his mouth was parted slightly. Shiro smiled and shook him lightly. “Hey, we’re here.” He said quietly.

Keith jolted up and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Shiro could feel his heart melting at the sight. “Wow, didn’t realize I fell asleep.” He mumbled with a yawn and stretched. Shiro chuckled and stepped out of the car.

Keith grabbed his bag and turned around, almost bumping into Shiro’s chest. “You’re exhausted, let me get that for you.” He said, holding out his hand.

Keith handed it over and smiled up at him with barely-open eyes. “You really are a gentleman, huh?” He said with a chuckle. Shiro’s face turned bright red, but before he could think of anything to say in response, Keith had already moved past him towards the front door. He shook his head and followed Keith inside. Everyone else had already gone to bed, so they tiptoed their way to the bedroom in silence.

Keith stripped down to his undershirt and boxers without hesitation as Shiro shut the door behind them. He dropped Keith’s bag over by the side of the bed he’d been sleeping on before getting ready for bed himself. Keith flopped onto the covers with a relieved sigh, not even bothering to crawl under them. Shiro chuckled as he turned off the light and slid into bed next to him. “Rough day?” He asked with a slight hint of amusement.

Keith groaned as he struggled to worm his way under the covers, having apparently reconsidered his sleeping position. “I couldn’t sleep at all last night. Got too used to you being there the past couple days, I guess.” He said with another big yawn.

Shiro’s blush returned full-force and he spent a long moment trying to will his hammering heart to slow. He squinted over at Keith in the dark, his eyes were already closed and his breath came out in a deep, even pattern. He was already asleep. Shiro couldn’t help but chuckle fondly. It wasn’t fair to wake him up now. He’d just have to tell him tomorrow night. He’d waited this long, he could wait another day. He reached over and tucked a stray hair behind Keith’s ear. “Good night, Keith.” He whispered with a shy smile before rolling over and trying to sleep as well.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out, I'm a dirty liar. This is the last proper chapter, though. Chapter 7 is going to be a (hopefully) short epilogue type of thing.

The slight tickle of breath on his collarbone and the thin sliver of sunlight peeking its way into his eyes warred for which one would rouse him first.The sunlight won out after a few minutes of fighting to go back to sleep to no avail. He wasn’t exactly surprised that he’d woken up with an armful of sleepy Keith, but it quickened his pulse anyway. Shiro couldn’t help but smile at the unruly mop of hair draped across his chest and arm, the sudden realization that there was nothing else he’d rather wake up to gave the near-constant butterflies in his stomach an early wake up call.

He gently pushed some of the messy hair away from Keith’s face and took a second to appreciate the view before lightly nudging Keith’s shoulder. Early in the morning after a restful night’s sleep, no time to work himself into a panicked mess over things, Shiro wondered if maybe now was the ideal time for their talk. Keith stirred just slightly, but didn’t appear to be any closer to waking up. He attempted again to lightly jostle Keith’s shoulder to get him to untangle their limbs fruitlessly. “Keith,” He tried, quietly at first. “Keith, come on.” He said again with a laugh. He had no idea how Keith could still sleep like the dead, some things really do never change.

Desperate times called for desperate measures, and Shiro had no idea how much time they had before Kuro was going to come yell at them to get ready to pick Jiji up from the hospital, so he tried the one thing he knew for sure always got Keith out of bed. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his face into Keith’s shoulder and blew hard against the skin there, to nearly instant effect. Unfortunately, that effect was for Keith to flail hard and elbow him in the face. Which, in retrospect, he probably should have seen coming. They jumped away from each other as Keith cried out in shock and horror, and Shiro cried out in pain. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, are you ok?” Keith practically leapt back to the other side of the bed as Shiro clutched his cheek with a wince.

He tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a groan. “I’m fine, I’m fine, it’s ok.” Seeing the faint red mark on Shiro’s skin wasn’t a cut or even much of a bruise, much less the bloodied nose he’d feared, Keith frowned at him.

“Well, serves you right. What are you, 12?” He grumbled as he got out of bed.

“Hey, you’re the one that wouldn’t wake up. I did what I had to do.” Keith rolled his eyes and collected his things for the shower. “Brat.” He said with a fond smile as he headed out to the bathroom.

Shiro wanted to kick himself. He’d had the perfect opportunity and spoiled it. He checked his phone to see what time it was and saw _11 unread messages_. Opening his messaging app in a panic, he rolled his eyes when he saw that all but one were from his brother; 10 variations on the theme of “did you tell him????” Thankfully the 11th was another adorable cat picture from Matt, of which he sent a glowingly positive review with several heart eye emojis. He stalked down the hall to his brother’s room instead of replying to any of his texts.

Kuro answered the three sharp taps against his door after a few moments. Bleary eyed and completely unprepared for Shiro in a sour mood, he considered shutting the door again once he saw his face. “Ten messages? Really? _Ten?”_ He asked in a harsh whisper instead of the shout he wanted to, both to ensure Keith wouldn’t overhear and as a courtesy to anyone who might still be sleeping.

Kuro yawned and shrugged. “You weren’t answering.” Shiro gaped at him, at a loss for words. “I take it you didn’t tell him then?” He asked, clearly disappointed. Shiro crossed his arms and looked away.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but, no. I haven’t had the chance yet.” Kuro shook his head and sighed. “Ok, but you’ve gotta do it tonight. For real.”

Shiro fixed him with a challenging look. “Oh really? What are you going to do if I don’t?”

Kuro gave him an unsettling look. “I’m gonna dress up like you and do it for you.”

Shiro frowned. “There’s no way that would work, he would totally be able to tell the difference. Plus you don’t wear glasses.” With a mocking laugh, Kuro wagged a finger at him.

“It would totally work, and you always keep a spare set in dad’s desk drawer ever since you broke yours that one Christmas.” Shiro was beginning to get a little nervous.

“Still, he could definitely tell.” His voice sounded unsure, even to himself.

“I tell you what, give me your glasses, you hang out here with Allura and I’ll go into your room. If Keith notices it’s me, I won’t bug you about it again. If he doesn’t, you have until midnight.” Kuro said with a smirk, crossing his arms.

Against his better judgement, Shiro stuck out his hand. “If he can’t tell within 5 minutes, I’ll tell him before lunch.” He replied, determination strengthening his voice. “Easy.” Kuro took his hand and shook it hard once.

..

Keith walked back into the bedroom in fresh clothes, still toweling his hair dry while holding his old clothes under his arm. He tossed the dirty clothes in the pile with the rest of them, not sparing a glance at the bed where Kuro was sitting, casually pretending to be reading a book. He hung his towel up by the corner of the dresser to dry out a bit before turning to the bed with a frown. Kuro tried hard not to smile as Keith studied him, hands on his hips. “Did you have a good shower?” He asked nonchalantly.

“What are you doing in here?” Keith asked instead of answering his question, raising an eyebrow. “Why are you wearing Shiro’s glasses? Can you even see with them on?” Kuro tossed the book down in a huff and pulled the glasses off with a groan.

Shiro practically slammed the door open. “Ha! Told you it wouldn’t work!” He shouted triumphantly, snatching the glasses out of his brother’s hand and putting them on.

“Wait, were you guys trying to trick me?” Keith questioned, less offended than genuinely confused.

Shiro’s face turned bright red as Kuro laughed. “We just wanted to see if you could still tell us apart. Y’know, like when we were kids.” He stammered out.

Keith rolled his eyes and laughed. “That’s dumb. I think I’d know my own bes-- boyfriend.” Keith replied, crossing his arms and looking away from them, his own blush now matching Shiro’s. Kuro laughed even harder.

He patted Shiro hard on the back. “Ok, ok. We just had to know. You really are a great _boyfriend,_ Keith.” He said, pointedly staring at Shiro for a brief moment before leaving the room.

Keith followed him with his eyes before turning back to Shiro, who looked like he would rather be anywhere else in the universe at that very moment. “Did you really think I couldn’t tell the difference?” He asked quietly. Shiro was shocked by the twinge of hurt he heard in Keith’s voice.

“No, not at all. I bet him you wouldn’t even need 5 minutes.” He tried for an apologetic smile and looked down at his feet. Keith chuckled a little, and Shiro raised his head to return his smile.

“Well, I barely needed 5 seconds. Glad you didn’t doubt me.” Shiro’s eyes softened along with his voice. “I would never doubt you, Keith.”

Keith’s grumbled “dork,” through smiling lips and his clear avoidance of Shiro’s gaze sent flutters through his chest. A creeping anxiety matched them, slithering up his spine along with the realization that sooner or later he would have to actually tell Keith how he felt, even if he had won the stupid bet. They’d been toeing that line over the few short days they’d found their way back into each other’s lives, just like they did all through high school. Rose colored glasses had tinted all of those memories in the most positive of lights in the long years he spent without Keith, but being back in the thick of the swirl of emotions was more overwhelming than he cared to remember. He mumbled out that he was headed to the shower, and spent far too long strategizing his approach under the steamy stream of water.

Freshly cleaned but no closer to solving his dilemma, Shiro scarfed down a quick breakfast as everyone else prepared to leave to go pick Jiji up from the hospital. It took about half an hour for everyone to get sorted and file their way into two cars. Shiro and Keith slid into the backseat of Kuro’s, leaving the backseat of their parents’ car set up for Jiji. The first few minutes of the ride went by in near silence- the only sound coming from the radio and Allura lightly humming along. Keith gently knocked his elbow into Shiro’s arm. “Hey, you ok?” He asked quietly.

Shiro looked up from where he was staring off into space, a little stunned. “Hm? Yeah, just… thinking.”

Keith offered him a lopsided smile. “Care to share with the class?” He teased.

Shiro felt his face heat up. “Just uh… work. I’m sure I’ve missed a lot. Being here was way more important, but you know… catching up and all that.” He half-heartedly chuckled.

Keith shot him a half-frown, half-pout. “Right. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll manage.” His voice had just the smallest hint of annoyance, and Shiro knew he was busted.

“Yeah. There’s some other stuff, too.” He admitted guiltily. “I’ll tell you about it later, though, it’s still…” He waved his hand in the air as he trailed off.

“Stewing?” Keith offered with slight chuckle, all trace of irritation gone. “Yeah, let’s go with that.” Shiro smiled at him fondly and placed his hand lightly on Keith’s knee. They both blushed and looked out opposite windows. Kuro adjusted his rearview just a tad, shooting Allura a quick teasing smile that she returned before turning his eyes back to the road.

Fortunately and unfortunately, depending on your perspective, the day went by far too quickly and busily for Shiro to spend any more time obsessing over his ever-nearing confession. There were doctors to see and forms to fill out and stressed out mothers to console (ok, maybe just the one, but it seemed like more to Shiro). Everyone helped in whatever way they could; collecting various odds and ends and running them down to the cars, helping Jiji get dressed back into proper clothes instead of his hospital gown, hunting down nurses for discharge instructions, making follow up after follow up appointment with doctors. By the time all was said and done and Jiji was loaded into the car, it was already late afternoon and everyone was at their wit’s end except for Jiji- he was happy as a clam to finally be coming home.

Once they got back to the house, it was Shiro and Keith’s job to help Jiji into the house and get him settled on the couch and comfortable. Kuro and Allura were in charge of getting all of his medical supplies and personal items he’d had in the hospital from both cars and into his bedroom, bathroom, and living room as appropriate. While they were completing their various tasks, Yumi headed out to the grocery to pick up the last minute items they’d need to cook Jiji’s welcome home dinner and Ryou started preparing all of the ingredients they already had. By the time Yumi was back, Jiji and all of his things were settled and he was happily sipping a ginger ale in his favorite spot in the living room while enjoying the company of his grandchildren and their significant others. Yumi smiled as the “kids” ran to help her unload the groceries and stayed behind in the kitchen, all of them asking how they could help the preparations for the feast.

“Ah! No, no! Everyone who has burned boxed macaroni and cheese, get out of my kitchen!” Ryou exclaimed, staring pointedly at Allura and Shiro, menacing them lightly with a wooden spoon. They dejectedly walked out of the kitchen, an embarrassed Keith hot on their heels.

“You too?” Allura ribbed good naturedly. “Ugh, I could burn water, I swear.” He said with a chuckle, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. Shiro smiled at him fondly.

“Well, I bet you two eat a lot of take away, then, don’t you! Heh.” Jiji grinned from his spot on the couch.

Keith nodded and took a seat next to him. “Well, one of the guys I live with is actually a really good cook. He makes sure I don’t get scurvy at least.” Jiji ruffled Keith’s hair gently and sighed contentedly. “At least you two have someone looking out for you.” He said as Keith beamed under his attention. Shiro blushed at the implication. “I don’t know how this one stays as fit as he is.” Jiji stage whispered, craning his head towards Shiro. “He can use an electron scanning microscope, but I don’t think he knows how to use an oven.”

Keith barked out a surprised laugh as Shiro huffed. “Hey! I’m not that bad. I bake chicken all the time!” Everyone in the living room laughed a bit at Shiro’s expense. They whiled away the time the others spent cooking with fun kitchen disaster stories. Shiro scoffed at Keith’s tale of attempting a lasagne only to have the outside be nearly molten while the inside was less _al dente_ and more _crunchy_. “You’ve seen every episode of Top Chef. How are you that bad at cooking?”

Keith glared at him and opened his mouth to say something before Allura interjected. “Let’s not be so hasty to judge. Those cooking shows are good fun, but that doesn’t mean they’re educational.” Allura proceeded to “win” the discussion with an anecdote about how she had once given herself and Kuro such bad food poisoning they were off work for an entire week. She was no longer allowed to cook meat of any kind as a precaution. Everyone ended up with sore cheeks and ribs from laughing so hard. When it was finally time to eat, Shiro and Keith lifted one of Jiji’s arms each as they gently helped him off the couch and to the dining table.

As promised, a veritable cornucopia of all of Jiji’s favorite foods was laid out on the table. The room filled with lively discussion and praises of the delicious meal as everyone enthusiastically tucked in. Not long after sunset, everyone sat back in their chairs with contented smiles and full bellies. “I know it is said that you shouldn’t go to sleep right after eating, but I think you’ve worn this old man out.” Jiji said with a laugh. “Thank you all so much for this and for taking such good care of me. I am a truly blessed man. I love you all dearly.” He said, smiling at each suddenly watery-eyed face around the table. Various murmurings of “Of course,” and “we love you, too” rumbled around the room. Breaking up the heartfelt moment with a large yawn, Jiji moved to stand from the table- Shiro and Keith both jumping up to help him as soon as he stood. He patted Shiro’s arm that reached out to steady him as Keith pulled the chair away.

Once he was safely tucked into his bed, they went back to the table to help Allura and Kuro clear away all the dishes. Between the 4 of them, the kitchen was spick and span in very short order, with only a minor distraction in the middle for a small bubble fight. It had the added bonus of making sure the counters and floor were cleaned along with the dishes. Shiro’s parents decided to call it an early night as well, blaming the large dinner and stressful week for their exhaustion.

“Hmm… do you guys wanna watch a movie or something?” Kuro asked as the four of them sat in the living room after saying good night to his parents. Allura looked at him emphatically and side-eyed to Shiro. His eyes went a little wide and he blinked hard a few times. “Oh wait, you know what? I’m actually really tired, too, suddenly.” He blurted, faking a yawn and stretching. Keith raised an eyebrow at him and turned to Shiro, shrugging. Shiro’s face was bright red and his eyes were wide with fear.

Just as Keith was about to ask if something was wrong, Allura interjected. “I’m exhausted as well, I think we’ll be heading to bed now. Don’t stay up too late, boys.” She said, all but pulling Kuro off the couch with her. “Good night!” He called as he followed Allura down the hallway.

Keith watched them go suspiciously before turning back to Shiro. His face had returned to a somewhat natural color, but he was shifting uncomfortably in his seat and kept wiping his hands on his pants. “Are you feeling alright?”

Shiro stood up and licked his lips before swallowing hard. “It’s just… is it a little warm out here? I think I need some fresh air.” He replied, walking over to the back door. Keith stood immediately and followed him outside.

The cold, night air pricked his face like needles as the gentle breeze wafted over his heated skin. Keith was at his side almost immediately, face already turned upwards to look at the night sky above them. Looking at Keith with his face bathed in the pale moonlight, sun-kissed skin glowing against his dark hair, eyes glimmering and wide, Shiro knew he’d never get a better chance. He licked his lips and took a deep breath. “Keith, I…” His voice caught in his throat as Keith turned his head to face him.

Keith’s face grew more anxious and concerned the longer the silence stretched between them. Shiro could feel every second tick by and make things that much more uncomfortable, but the words wouldn’t come to him. “Are you ok, Shiro?” Keith took a step closer and laid the back of his hand against Shiro’s forehead as if checking for a fever. The contact shattered the block in Shiro’s mind and he grabbed Keith’s hand, moving it in between them in a gentle grip.

“No, I’m not ok.” He started, closing his eyes for a brief moment to collect himself. “I’m not ok, because I have something really important to tell you.” Keith stared at him in unabashed confusion, but gave him a slight nod. Neither one let go of the other’s hand. “Keith, you’ve always been my best friend. Almost every happy memory I have, you’re right there next to me. I’m so sorry we lost touch with each other, it’s been one of the biggest regrets of my life.”

Keith squeezed his hand lightly. “That’s not all on you, I could have reached out, too. We have plenty of time to make up for it, though.” Keith smiled hopefully up at him, Shiro nodded and squeezed his hand back.

“I hope you still feel that way after this next part.” Shiro said with a self-deprecating chuckle. Keith squared his shoulders a little and his face fell into a more serious look again. “I should have told you this when we were 16, but better late than never, I guess.” Shiro brought his free hand up to Keith’s face and lightly brushed his fingers along Keith’s cheek before tucking a stray lock of unruly hair behind Keith’s ear. Both of their faces flushed red. “Keith, I’m in love with you.” He breathed out so quietly Keith almost didn’t hear. Keith’s eyes went wide and his blush deepened.

“It’s ok if you don’t feel the same, I just had to-” Shiro’s words were cut off by Keith all but leaping into his arms and smashing his lips against Shiro’s. It was awkward and clumsy and their teeth clacked a few times and Shiro had no idea what to do with his hands, but it was the best kiss he’d ever had in his life. They had to break apart for air a few long moments later, and Shiro couldn’t help the incredulous laugh that spilled out. Keith smiled up at him and tried to keep his composure, but soon both of them were laughing almost hysterically, clutching each other’s shaking shoulders. “We’re idiots.” Keith said in between pants as he desperately tried to catch his breath. Shiro leaned forward and rested his forehead against Keith’s. “Complete morons.” He murmured in agreement, face split into a wide grin. Keith tilted his head and pushed himself up on his toes to close the gap between their lips again.

Shiro melted into the kiss and pulled Keith even closer with tight a grip on his hips. Keith slid his hands up the back of Shiro’s neck, smiling into Shiro’s mouth at the sensation of his palms running over the transition between the closely buzzed prickles that went up to his ears and the soft fluff of hair above it. They pulled back apart and gazed fondly into each other’s eyes. “I uh,” Keith shifted his eyes down and then back to Shiro’s. “I love you, too, by the way.” Shiro grinned and brought their lips together again.

They parted only enough to breathe again before Keith dipped his head to Shiro’s shoulder. “I can’t believe this finally happened.” Keith whispered breathlessly into Shiro’s shirt.

Shiro ran his hand up and down Keith’s back in lazy, soft stroke. “It’s been a long time coming.” He answered, placing a soft kiss on the top of Keith’s head. Keith nuzzled into him a little before yawning. They both took that as a sign that it was time for them to head to bed as well. They fell asleep wrapped securely in each other’s arms.

..

The next morning, Keith grumbled awake before Shiro for once. He smiled at the tuft of hair that always had a mind of its own splayed out on the pillow. He placed a soft kiss on Shiro’s nose and whispered his name. Shiro blinked awake and smiled softly. “Hmm... g‘mornin.” He murmured, blinking a few times. Keith leaned in a pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. Both just a little overwhelmed at how quickly a good morning kiss felt as natural as breathing, neither one moved a bit. Shiro finally sat up and stretched, yawning loudly as his back popped in a few places. “You know what? Let’s cook breakfast for everyone.” Shiro said, looking down at Keith where he was sitting up on his elbow enjoying the view.

“Is this some kind of petty revenge for them making fun of us yesterday? Because if we start a fire or something, they’re never gonna let us live it down.” Keith said with a smirk as he climbed out of bed.

Shiro tossed a pillow at his retreating backside. “Hey, we can figure out eggs and toast. Have a little faith!” He laughed out in mock-offense.

Keith tossed the pillow back on the bed and shook his head. “I’ll try, but if we screw it up I fully intend on throwing you under the bus.” Keith retorted, walking around the bed as Shiro stood up. He slid his arms around Shiro’s waist pressed his face into the still sleep-warm skin in the crook of his neck. Shiro let out a shaky breath and held him close, one arm around his back and the other cradling the back of his head. Keith hummed in contentment as Shiro held him, savoring the contact. "I still can’t believe I’m just… allowed to do this finally.” He murmured into Shiro’s chest.

He felt the answering chuckle more than he heard it as he felt Shiro’s lips press softly to his head. “You are allowed and encouraged to do this whenever you want.” He responded playfully, pulling Keith a little closer and rubbing his cheek into Keith’s soft, sleep-mussed hair. A strangled gurgle from Shiro’s stomach broke up the moment and had them both laughing as they parted to go about getting ready for the day.

It turned out, they didn’t make quite so bad a team at cooking as Keith had feared. The scrambled eggs were a little bit runny and the first few pieces of toast (long disposed of in the trash can, buried by paper towels) had been burnt, but it turned out mostly fine. They had just gotten bold and decided to try their hands at frying bacon when Kuro popped his head into the kitchen. “Oh no, no way.” He said, holding his hands out. “You guys are NOT burning the house down. We just got Jiji _out_ of the hospital.” He swiftly butted his way in and took over the cooking. “And your watery eggs are gonna get cold while this fries, so cover them up and put them in the microwave.”

Shiro frowned but followed his brother’s instructions, placing tin foil over the heaping plate and putting it in the microwave. His hand hovered over the timer buttons and he caught Keith’s eye with a smirk as he pressed a few of them. “What are you doing! You JUST put foil in there! Aren’t you supposed to be a rocket scientist?” Kuro shouted, darting across the kitchen to shut the appliance off as Keith and Shiro laughed. He looked up at the screen and saw that Shiro had just adjusted the power level setting, having not actually set it to start heating. “Oh haha, very funny.” Kuro muttered sarcastically as Shiro and Keith laughed at him. “Real good joke. Give a guy a heart attack why don’t you.” He poked at the sizzling bacon in the pan as his mother helped Jiji into the kitchen, wide smiles on both of their faces.

Keith leaned into Shiro’s shoulder and smiled up at him as he looped his arm around Shiro’s waist. Shiro returned his smile and pressed his lips to Keith’s forehead. Kuro grumbled out a derisive “finally,” under his breath. Keith narrowed his eyes and looked up at Shiro again. “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you when we get home.” He whispered. Keith shrugged and turned to greet Allura and Ryou as they walked into the kitchen to join the others. Allura let out a small “aww” before she caught herself and pretended to yawn. Shiro rolled his eyes at her and offered his own good mornings as they all sat down for breakfast. 


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /Heeleys in 15 weeks late with Starbucks and almost 3k of smut. 
> 
> I went back and edited previous chapters after some firm but gentle reminders that paragraph breaks during conversations don't cost extra, so those should be a bit easier to read now. (Thanks for the feedback btw, turns out research papers don't have a lot of dialogue lol)
> 
> Also, this is the first time I've ever actually written anything explicit so let me know how I did! The funny bit’s towards the end if you want to skip the porny parts. 
> 
> Double also, Shiro’s been really stressed throughout this fic and he’s overdue for a dick appointment, so don’t @ me about bottom!Shiro lol :P

Shiro couldn't recall a time in his life where he'd been as consistently anxious for such an extended period of time. The previous week felt like a lifetime ago. 

A few days after Jiji had returned home from the hospital he was doing well enough that he didn't need as much help getting up and around, so Shiro and Keith headed back to LA. Keith wasn't able to pull any strings to upgrade them both on the nearly full flight, but they were fortunate enough to be seated together. The flight felt much shorter with Keith's hand in his and their heads leaned in close as they shared a set of headphones, watching old movies and talking quietly together until they fell asleep. 

Keith had headed back to Long Beach, but had promised to come by Shiro's place after a much needed night in his own bed. They'd talked briefly about their newly minted relationship but nothing in depth, nothing to sate the growing well of nerves resurfacing in his gut.

Black kept him company while he waited for Keith's arrival. She'd been thrilled to see him and made herself comfortable on his lap as soon as he sat down on the couch, purring loudly and kneading at his shirt. It soothed a bit of his nervousness as the minutes ticked by. 

He was pulled out of his half-daze while petting Black by a few sharp taps at his front door. She let out an annoyed trill as he picked her up and deposited her back on the cushion to go answer it. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and took a deep breath before opening the door. “Hey, Keith. How was th-” before he could finish his sentence, Keith had taken a big step forward and pulled him into a searing kiss. He'd never liked being interrupted before, but found he didn't mind Keith's way much at all. 

He took a few steps backwards and Keith followed without letting go. Shiro turned both of them to the side so he could shut the door. Keith's persistence had him chuckling into the kiss. Keith finally relented and pulled away, but he kept his arms looped around Shiro's neck and stayed close. “I missed you, too.” He said with a laugh. Keith's answering lopsided smile made his chest swell. 

“Sorry, probably should have said hi first.” He replied sheepishly. Shiro assured him he didn't mind with a quick brush of his lips to Keith's forehead. Black snaked between them, meowing as she rubbed herself on Keith's legs. “Well hey there, gorgeous.” Keith cooed as he bent down and let the cat sniff at his hand. She apparently found it satisfactory, and bumped it with her head to urge Keith into petting her. 

Shiro smiled at the sight. “She likes being picked up, just don't flip her on her back.” He coaxed. Keith gently lifted the giant cat up and held her against his chest like a toddler. She purred loudly and bumped her head into his chin as he laughed. She got bored quickly and scrabbled about, trying to climb Keith's head. 

They both laughed as Shiro grabbed her and placed her back on the ground. “Sorry about that, she's pretty playful sometimes.” 

Keith grinned. “It's fine. I love cats.” He closed the gap between them again and pressed a much softer kiss to Shiro's lips than the one he'd been greeted with. He pulled away with a glint in his eye. “And you.” He whispered softly. 

Shiro's cheeks bloomed with blush as he knocked their noses together lightly. “I still can't believe it.” He replied just as quietly. Keith gave him a smirk that had his mouth going dry. 

“Want me to prove it?” The teasing challenge in his voice made white noise explode in Shiro's head. He knew exactly what Keith had in mind and the thought had his anxiety resurfacing in an instant. Keith could read the discomfort written all over his face. “Hey, no pressure.” He said softly, rubbing the back of a hand across Shiro's cheek. Shiro turned his head and pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckles. “We can just hang out if you're not ready.” 

Keith's easy smile made his mind up for him. “No, I'm ready. Beyond ready.” He blurted the words out too fast, but if Keith noticed he didn't say anything. He pressed another chaste kiss to Shiro's mouth. 

“Lead the way, then.” Keith's wry smirk was back and suddenly Shiro found himself guiding them to his bedroom on autopilot. He'd be lying to himself if he said that it wasn't what he expected, and even hoped for, but actually being there had his pulse thrumming in his throat. 

He rubbed the back of his neck and gestured around the room. “Well, here we are.” He said with an awkward laugh. Keith rolled his eyes but smiled fondly and nodded towards the bed. Shiro flushed but complied with the unspoken command.

As soon as he sat down on the bed, Keith was in front of him, pushing him back further up the mattress. Shiro's breath came in shaky puffs that he couldn't quite control. His eyes fluttered closed as Keith slid his way up Shiro's body. Even through too many layers, the contact left burning trails of want in its wake. By the time their lips met, Shiro was nearly shaking. Keith kissed his way along Shiro's jawline to nip at his earlobe. “Don't be nervous. I'll take good care of you.” Shiro wasn't proud of the noise Keith's breathy whisper elicited, but Keith sure was.

He slid a hand up Shiro's shirt to rove around his stomach and chest as he pressed their mouths together again, determined to kiss away Shiro's worries. Shiro melted into it and groaned into Keith's mouth as a blunt fingernail dragged lightly across one of his nipples. His hands moved of their own volition to Keith's hips and dragged them down, both of them hissing at the sudden contact.

Keith took the opportunity to pull Shiro's shirt up and off his chest, with a momentary chuckle at his glasses getting caught up in the fabric. Eyewear safely deposited on the bedside table and henley tossed to a forgotten corner, Keith made it his mission to kiss, lick, and nip at as much of the newly exposed skin as possible. By the time he got to the button on Shiro's pants, Shiro was gasping and the white-knuckled hold he had on Keith's hair was just barely the right side of uncomfortable. 

Keith slid the pants down Shiro's legs almost painfully slowly, pausing several times to press sloppy, open mouthed kisses along his thighs and calves before finally tossing them aside. “Hey, no fair.” Shiro murmured playfully as he sat up to tug Keith's shirt off in retaliation. Keith's eyes were half closed and his pupils were blown wide as he smiled down at Shiro before leaning in for another bruising kiss. The feeling of their bare, heated skin connecting was enough motivation for him to pull his own pants and underwear off quickly, discarding them into the rapidly growing pile of clothes on the floor. 

He slid down Shiro's body again, this time much more urgently. He spared only the time it took to pull Shiro's boxers down to his mid-thigh before he pulled the head of Shiro’s weeping length into his mouth. “Keith…” Shiro groaned weakly, pulling Keith's hair back and holding it so he could watch himself slowly disappear into the tight, wet heat behind Keith's swollen lips. 

One of Keith's hands was dutifully helping in his mission to render Shiro completely incapable of coherent thought as the other held Shiro’s hip in place. Far too soon, Shiro was urgently pulling Keith's head away. Keith took the hint and pulled off with a  _ pop _ after hollowing his cheeks one last time. The satisfied grin on his face at Shiro's distress was equal parts infuriating and charming.

While Shiro caught his breath, Keith busied himself pulling his underwear all the way off before moving up the bed to lay next to him. Shiro pulled him in for a kiss and moaned again as he tasted himself on Keith's tongue. Shiro snaked a hand between them and gripped him tightly, revelling in the sounds he drew from Keith's mouth as he worked his hand over him. Keith stilled him with a desperate grasp around his wrist and drew in a shuddering breath. 

“Top drawer.” Shiro said quietly at Keith's raised eyebrow. Keith quickly turned and fished out the small tube and foil packet they needed. He hesitated for a moment and leaned down to kiss Shiro again. 

“Are you good with this? I'm not picky.” He swallowed hard and struggled to keep his face neutral. Shiro nodded. 

“Definitely.” Shiro replied. He scooted closer to the middle of the bed. “Where do you want me?” Keith hesitated at the question for a moment. He quickly decided to follow Shiro's lead. 

He crawled over and placed his hand in the center of Shiro's chest, pressing down hard. “Right here.” His voice was hoarse and deep and made Shiro's head swim. He heard the click of the bottle and closed his eyes, trying to relax as the pad of Keith's finger swirled at his entrance. Keith's tongue and teeth sliding along his neck and collarbones was a pleasant distraction from the slight stretch as Keith slid his finger inside. 

“It's been a while.” Shiro huffed out, flexing his thighs along with Keith’s movements. Keith hummed into his chest. 

“We’re not in a hurry.” He answered in an amused whisper as he worked his finger slowly and shallowly. 

Shiro let out a huff of frustration. “Speak for yourself.” He muttered breathlessly as his eyes opened and met Keith’s. The challenge he saw there had his overworked heart beating even faster. 

“So you’re in a rush then?” He teased as he worked his hand faster, grinning as Shiro’s eyes rolled back in his head at the change of pace. A breathy grunt of his name was Keith’s only answer as he carefully worked another finger inside. Keith’s wrist started to burn as he pumped and spread his fingers in turns. Shiro’s fists were balled tightly in the sheets and his hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat. “God, you look so good like this.” He murmured.

A harsh exhale was Shiro’s only response for a moment before he found the breath to reply. “I bet,” He gritted out, taking another moment to collect himself. “I’d look better... with you... on top of me.” He finally finished. He gasped as Keith pulled his fingers free. His eyes were still wedged shut as he heard the package tear and Keith’s stifled grunt as he prepared himself. 

Keith pressed soft kisses to each of his eyelids and he relaxed almost instantly. “You still with me?” His voice still had the raspy, rough edge that was driving Shiro wild, but this time it came out much softer. It was all he could do to nod and breathe out what might have been a  _ yeah. _ Keith lined himself up and slid in carefully and slowly until his hips were flush with Shiro’s thighs. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out as he counted to ten. 

Shiro moaned out his name again and impatiently shifted his hips. Keith took that as his cue to move and slowly pulled back and slid home again. The answering enthusiastic cry spurred him on and soon they found a steady rhythm. “You were right, this is much better.” Keith practically purred as he snapped his hips. Shiro’s reply, while nonverbal, was immensely satisfying. His hands had long since found their way to Keith’s back and he knew he’d have bruises from Shiro’s ever-tightening grip. 

Keith rested his forehead on Shiro’s and nudged his nose. “Touch yourself for me,” He said quietly, pressing a messy kiss to the side of Shiro’s mouth. Shiro whimpered and complied as Keith’s hips sped up mercilessly. It wasn’t long at all before they reached their crescendo together, calling out each other’s names. Keith took a moment to breathe before gently sliding out and grabbing tissues from the end table to clean them both up a little. He grimaced as he tossed them over the side of the bed to deal with later before flopping down on Shiro’s chest.

Shiro nuzzled his head into Keith's sweat-damp hair and sigh contentedly. He felt the feather light brush of Keith's lips against his collarbone and smiled as he pressed a kiss of his own in response. “I'm surprised you're still awake.” Shiro teased with another nudge of his face into Keith's hair. It tickled his nose but it was soft and comforting. 

Keith lifted his head up and slid off of Shiro's chest to rest at his side, facing him. “I was thinking about it.” He admitted with a soft flick to Shiro's nose. Shiro laughed and leaned in to kiss him again. It was just a gentle glide of lips, all of the urgency leached away in the afterglow. 

“So if sleep’s off the table, what do you wanna do instead?” Keith frowned, pretending to be deep in thought. Shiro shook his head and chuckled. 

“Hmm… how about…” He lilted closer and kissed the side of Shiro's mouth. “Pizza.” Kiss. “Round 2.” Kiss. “Then sleep.” He placed a final kiss to Shiro's lips and sat back with a satisfied smile as Shiro stared at him with a mixture of fondness and awe. 

“Can't argue with that.” He pulled Keith in closer and kissed him again before climbing over him to fish his phone from the pockets of his long-forgotten pants. Keith turned and took in the view appreciatively. Shiro stopped and keyed in the order on his phone. “Pepperoni ok?” He asked, looking up. He smiled at the look on Keith's face. “What?” 

Keith grinned back up at him. “Pepperoni's perfect.” Shiro nodded and finished placing their order before climbing back into bed and settling in with Keith against his side. “What were you gonna tell me when we got home? About your brother?” Keith prodded, suddenly remembering their conversation in the kitchen a few days ago. Shiro sighed. 

He told Keith the whole story and watched his face change from confusion to rage as the story went on. Keith got up suddenly and grabbed his phone from the floor. “Whoa whoa, what are you doing?” Shiro asked, getting back out of bed to go persuade Keith away from any rash action. 

Keith shook his head. “I've got a friend that's into all that hacking computery whatever.” He waved one hand in the air dismissively as he typed with the other. “I'm seeing if she can just completely flood his inbox with weird porn. What a dick.” He grumbled, frowning as he typed. Shiro started laughing almost hysterically. Keith looked up at him from where he'd sat back down on the bed, grabbing his sides as he laughed. “What?” Keith's anger quickly dissipated as he smiled at Shiro's antics. 

He sat back down on the bed as Shiro pulled himself together. Shiro shook his head fondly and smoothed out some Keith's ever-unruly hair. “I love you.” He said quietly, a shy smile replacing his boisterous laughter. Keith smiled back and leaned in for another quick kiss. “I love you, too.” 


End file.
